


Train Tracks

by softmaknae



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Artists, Depression, Drinking to Cope, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Funny, Hiding, Homelessness, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Park Seonghwa-centric, Piercings, Play Fighting, Running Away, Suicidal Thoughts, Tattoos, Therapy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2020-10-11 20:01:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 39,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20551898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softmaknae/pseuds/softmaknae
Summary: One in which Seonghwa runs his own tattoo parlor in a rundown part of town. Only he’s not only someone who does tattoos, he’s also a listener that anyone can come to with problems; a gracious friend who will give you a home when you’re homeless; a friend who will talk you out of suicide and then give you the world; a friend who will hide someone from the law if he knows they aren’t doing anything wrong.seonghwa is a therapist for 6 struggling boys and an asshole cop’s son[SLOW UPDATES]





	1. Prologue

Winter.

Seonghwa drove slowly to his shop, nodding his head to the beat of the music blasting in his car. The vibrations of the bass made him feel somewhat happy to be going to work after such a long time of being away. Snow had made it impossible for him to get to his shop, so he had Mingi run it until he could manage to squeeze his camry through the big towers of ice.

They rarely plowed his shopping center, as most of it is abandoned. He didn’t really mind, as it just meant less work for people who don’t get paid enough to do so. As long as he could get to work after a few days of waiting for the white blanket to melt, he was fine.

Turning past Yunho’s studio, he wondered if anyone had come in during the blizzard. Mingi had mentioned that he had done some piercings here and there, but for the past week the parlor was pretty much empty. None of his regulars came by besides Wooyoung, who dropped off some croissants for Mingi to eat.

He never paid the boy to be kind to his business partner, but some would say it sounds like it. Every week or so, he’ll drop by with something for both of the parlor workers. Seonghwa usually gave whatever he couldn’t manage to eat to Mingi, who took any food with open arms. After all, he was still trying to gather enough money for his own place.

Seonghwa bit his lip once he started coming up to the intersection closest to his shop, hoping that it wouldn’t be difficult to park his vehicle behind the building.

Everything was covered in the powdery snow, but it had cleared just enough for him to get around the back safely. He sighed deeply, a small part of him growing warm just thinking about being back in a place he was comfortable in.

He hummed his music quietly as he worked his way through the maze of visible ice down the pavement, making a left before backing into his parking space next to the back entrance of “Mars’ Tattoos.”

Gathering his coat and his phone, he wrapped his charging cord around the case, and prepared himself to step out into the negative degree weather. He opened the door and draped his coat overtop of himself, rushing to get inside.

He exhaled, seeing his breath cloud up in front of him as he dug in his pocket for his keys. His fingertips were already freezing, but he shoved the key inside the lock without much hassle, and darted into the back of his shop, shutting the door behind him.

From far away, he could hear Mingi groan slightly, his blankets bunching up as he sat up on the futon. “Hwaaa.” He grumbled with a groggy voice.

Seonghwa tossed his keys onto the counter and threw his coat aside on one of their chairs, stepping into the main room of the shop. There Mingi was with a massive bedhead, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes. He looked as if he were beat up with a bruise on his face, but Seonghwa chose against asking him about it right now.

“Hwaaa.” He sang again, holding his arms out in a half asleep manner. “C’mere.”

Sighing, the older walked over and sat beside Mingi, who hugged him tight.

“How have you been doing, Mingi?” Seonghwa asked, giving Mingi a little squeeze back before detaching him from his neck.

Mingi hummed. “Fine. Wooyoung brought some food earlier, if you want some.” The tired co-worker pointed to the front counter, and there was a to-go bag placed on it. “I’m not hungry.”

The blonde haired man ran his hands through his hair, watching Mingi’s head hit his pillow once again, him back to snoring within seconds. Once he turned to his side, he could see the extent of the bruising on his arms and on his stomach. The splotches were a deep purple, and almost blended in with his own tattoos, but Seonghwa knew that those weren’t there before.

_Maybe he went out last night,_ Seonghwa thought._ I’ll ask him about it later._

Seonghwa stood, and went to examine what Wooyoung had brought. His stomach was growling, and he was secretly despising himself for skipping breakfast. He stuffed his head into the bag, spying a note that the baker had left for Mingi.

_Dear Mingi,_

_If Seonghwa returns today, then you better share this with him. I hope these are big enough for you two to be filled up. Enjoy! I made this with a ton of love._

_Love, Wooyoungie_

Oh how this boy made him cringe. He was perhaps too affectionate sometimes.

Anyway, Seonghwa opened the styrofoam to-go container and he was greeted with the fresh scent of chocolate filled croissants.

How did he know to bring these today? Does this man see into the future? These were Seonghwa’s favorite.

Humming loudly to himself, he snatched a napkin from the bag and carefully picked up one of the croissants, biting into the delicate baked goodness before about crying tears of joy. God, he loved these things. But he never told Wooyoung that he did.

While he ate away at his breakfast, he lit up the ‘open’ neon light in front of his store, and sat back into the desk chair he had, waiting for his first customer to arrive.


	2. One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story’s also on wattpad. been posting my recent stories both on there and on here to see what does better.
> 
> EDIT:  
I've been waiting since I posted the prologue to post this.  
I waited until midnight so I could post it bc I wanted it to be the next day, y'know?  
I'm so excited  
ANYWAY SORRY FOR THE RAMBLE  
ENJOY :D

“Mars, can I have this?”

Yeosang was hanging with Mingi in the piercing room, but he came over to ask about a can of soda he had put in the mini fridge.

Seonghwa just hummed a response, too busy tatting a customer with a wolf he drew on her bicep. It was turning out pretty well, and she was being pretty brave, considering it was her first tattoo.

“Why is your name Mars?” The girl suddenly questioned, causing Seonghwa to part from her arm to glance at her.

Seonghwa laughed a bit and shook his head. “It’s just a nickname I got called when I was younger. It’s not my real name. But it sounds cool, huh?”

The girl giggled, and continued to ask questions here and there while he finished up, like: “How old are you?” “Are you single?” “Can I come back to you again?”

Seonghwa didn’t answer the first two questions directly; instead, he turned the questions around for her to answer. He found out that she just turned 18 and was single. That was kind of surprising to find out, since she was actually very attractive. He told her that if she wanted another and she was happy with the job he had done, she could come back. After he explained the details of how to take care of her newly inked skin, she left.

“Hmm. She was cute, wasn’t she?” Mingi swung himself around the doorframe, watching his friend see his customer off. He shuffled over to his side, wiggling his eyebrows. Yeosang emerged from the room as well, resting himself on the wall nearby. “You’re a big fan of the brunettes, aren’t cha?”

Seonghwa spun around and threw a pen at Mingi. “Shut up.”

Yeosang laughed. “Hey, well if it makes it any better, anyone with a pair of eyes can see she was attractive. Mingi’s just dumb.”

Mingi grunted, facing Yeosang. “Listen, man. You weren’t even in this conversation! How the hell are you gonna jump in and call me dumb?”

Yeosang shrugged. “I thought you deserved it. Don’t tease him for liking what he sees.”

Seonghwa chuckled, watching Mingi pull Yeosang into a very weak headlock. “She was just nice for a first timer. That’s all.”

“Sure, sure.” Mingi said in a teasing tone. Following those words, Yeosang bit Mingi’s finger, Mingi immediately releasing him from his grasp.

Seonghwa observed the two tussle it over, bickering and wrestling over the waiting room furniture, overall making a mess of the place. Meanwhile the older sat back, sipping at his drink, chuckling at the two immature people brawling in his store.

Sometimes he questioned why he had such rowdy friends, and he always answers with some memory of them fighting. It’s always very entertaining.

Sometime after the Rocky fight, Yeosang and Mingi— who were no longer on speaking terms— cleaned up the lounge area. The older had to make sure they weren’t going to fight again while also greeting another customer.

“Hey Mars!”

It was his regular, Yunho.

“Hey Mingi. Sup Yeosang.”

The two said hello almost simultaneously, glaring at each other with this newfound hatred they had for each other.

Seonghwa rolled his eyes. “Don’t you dare, you two. I can always throw you in time out.”

He could see both of them drop the act through his peripherals, both of them realizing what that meant.

“Anyway, what’s up Yunho?”

“Mmm. Nothin much.” The blue haired dancer mused. “You got any new ones in your catalog?”

“As a matter of fact I do. And I have some that I have yet to add if you want to see them.” Seonghwa offered, sliding the somewhat final sketches in front of the man.

He rummaged through the binder Seonghwa had set up, flipping through the new category before slapping his finger on a small, simple black keyhole. “This one.”

Seonghwa was interested in his choice, but he said nothing as Yunho strolled into his ink room like this was his own shop.

He shrugged, and took the design out of the laminated page, setting it beside his desk as a reference. 

Before he closed the door, he glared at the younger boys, making sure they knew that he’d have their ass if they trashed his lobby up again.

He could see the fear in their eyes as they started frantically cleaning, probably hoping to finish before he wrapped up Yunho.

Once the door shut, Yunho’s smile grew.

“What’s got you in such a giddy mood?” The dancer was always in such a good mood but this... this was different. He could tell by just looking at him.

While Mars got the tools set up for the job, he listened diligently to Yunho as he spoke about a girl he’s been talking to, and how much he adores her. She had been attending his classes with a friend of hers who dragged her along. He seemed to like to stress that this woman didn’t really have the right coordination for dancing as a whole, but she was really sweet and tried her best.

She and her friend had been attempting to create their own routine to show friends, and she needed help nailing down certain parts of their made up choreography. Yunho had been helping her out without her friend knowing, hoping that she could surprise her when it came time to perform.

But their relationship seemed to blossom more than he thought it would. He started falling for her, figuratively and literally. While Yunho spoke, he could really see the glint of joy in Yunho’s eyes. It was more prevalent than it had been previously; and that not only got him feeling for his friend, but it rose some concern.

“So, are you getting this tattoo for her?”

Yunho shook his head. “Not necessarily. It’s for whoever I end up being with. I want to have a keyhole and if the person I marry would like a tattoo, I want theirs to be the key that fits it.”

Seonghwa couldn’t help but smile at that adorable idea. He knew Yunho was a romantic, but not like this. He’s always been a free-spirit, ever since he met him a few years back. His smile never faltered, and he always seemed content, even when he was single. But this... this was a whole new side of him.

Is this how people looked when they're in love?

“Mmm. Okay. How big do you want it to be, and where do you want it?” Seonghwa sat on his little tattoo stool, wipes in hand, ready to sanitize the area before starting it.

Yunho rolled up his sweatshirt’s sleeve, revealing his two almost fully done arms, shining in their colorful, tattooed glory. Seonghwa hadn’t done all of them himself, but he does recall most of them. Especially the pirate flag one. That was one of his favorites he’s ever done.

He pointed to a primarily empty spot, one that was directly above his left elbow, just to the right of it. “Here. Do you think it’ll look good there?”

Mars bit his lip. “It should look fine, yeah. Are you sure that you want it there?”

Yunho scratched his neck nervously. “I’m really not sure. Like, I did pick out that spot and whatever, but I do have other places that it could go.”

He proceeded to point at his left wrist, where there was a gap between tattoos that could be patched with this one, and one on the middle of his right forearm.

“Do you want my personal opinion?” Mars asked him.

Yunho nodded. “Please? I just want it to look like it belongs there.”

Seonghwa pointed to his left wrist. “I personally prefer smaller tattoos to be lower on the arm, right around the wrist. That’s how I have most of mine done.” He said, pulling up his sleeve slightly to showcase his little doodles of tattoos he had dotted around his wrist. It consisted of a pair of his initials, a tiny rose, a tattooed on intricate string bracelet, a sharktooth, and a small picture of saturn that paired with a crescent moon.

Yunho was amazed by his tattoos, seeing as people don’t see them that often. Seonghwa had a habit of wearing long sleeved collared shirts; something that was very odd and unheard of in a tattoo parlor. They weren’t something Seonghwa voluntarily showed off to everyone.

“Did you do these?”

The tattoo artists gave him a slight nod. “Most of them.” He flicked up his wrist, knocking his sleeve upward and cleared his throat. “So do you want it where I recommended it? Or somewhere else?”

“Nah, put it on the wrist. You’ve convinced me.” Yunho said with a chuckle.

The dancer knew the drill, he took off his sweatshirt he was sporting to allow Seonghwa the power of not having to pull up the sleeve if it slipped down, and laid his arm out straight onto the table.

Mars wished that all of his clients were this considerate.

While his pen buzzed away onto Yunho’s skin, he could hear the faint jingle of the front door’s bell followed by muffled conversation. Maybe it was another customer for him, but after a while he couldn’t hear much anymore. Mingi might’ve snatched them up.

“So, since I spent all of my time talking to you about the girl I’m swooning over... do you have anyone you’re meeting?”

Seonghwa raised an eyebrow. “Not really, no. I don’t really socialize outside of my parlor; I’ve told you this.”

Yunho huffed. “I know I know. But I always gotta ask, y’know? Things can change.”

“Of course.”

“I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t. I mean, you’re a handsome dude. I’m sure you could get someone.”

Seonghwa desperately wanted to change the subject from his incapability of landing a date to something more cheery.

“Haven’t you gotten numbers from people who come in here?”

Seonghwa nodded, still perfectly focused on filling in the shape he had outlined.

“Why don’t you follow up with them?”

“Because, Yunho. That would mean I’d be following up with Wooyoung.”

Yunho frowned. “No, really hyung. I’m sure you’ve gotten numbers from people, right?”

Seonghwa paused himself from the filling in to dab away a little splotch of blood coming out. “I usually don’t take them.”

“Oh. Why?”

“Because I’m not somebody looking for something at the moment.” Seonghwa answered.

“That’s fine, but couldn’t you make moves on them once you’re looking?”

“Can we just drop this subject while I finish this up? I can’t concentrate.” Seonghwa said, grumbling over how much longer this was taking. He had run over places he didn’t need to several times due to him losing track of it. It still looked fine, but there were spots that appeared darker than the other ones.

Yunho muttered something under his breath, but he changed the subject to something else. “Have you got any weird customers lately? Cause I can tell you a story of a man that I had signed up for one of my classes who clearly didn’t want to be there. His wife paid for the classes so he could ‘get his ass out of bed and get fit’. He’s a decent dancer, actually, but his attitude towards it hasn’t changed much.”

Seonghwa couldn’t really recall of any weird ones as of late, since it was winter and this was pretty much an off season for him. Many people can’t reach him in all of the snowy conditions, so that calls for a smaller amount of people coming by. “We haven’t had many customers lately, so I couldn’t tell you. I mean, we had a guy who wanted a tattoo of a toenail.”

Yunho burst out laughing. “A toenail?”

The tattoo artist chuckled with him. “I couldn’t tell you why he wanted it, but I gave it to him.”

“What an odd idea for a tattoo. It must’ve had a lot of meaning to him.”

“Or he was piss drunk. That’s always an option.” Seonghwa added, pulling his pen away from Yunho’s skin, glancing over his work from afar before patting it down.

Yunho looked at his new ink with a level of admiration that always made Seonghwa feel fuzzy inside. “Dude, it’s great. Thank you.”

Seonghwa stood up, putting his tool to the side and twisting his neck, hoping to remove a cramp he had in it. “You remember what to do to take care of it, right?”

Yunho stared at him as if he were insane. “Of course I do. I’ve gotten enough of these that I’ve memorized the routine.”

Seonghwa patted him on the shoulder, giving him a small grin. “Good. As long as you do what you’re told, it’ll look great for a very long time.”

Yunho and Mars headed out of the room together, the tattoo artist making sure he paid before he snuck off like he did last time. Of course he did end up paying, but sometimes he forgets to.

“See you later, Mars.” Yunho said, showing his signature smile off once again. “Bye Mingi!” He called out.

“Bye twinkle toes!” Mingi replied, too busy with his customer to come out and bid him farewell.

Once Yunho stepped out, his attention went from the door to a new client, who was sat patiently on the futon, scrolling through something on his phone.

Aish. It was the third customer and despite calling the parlor place home, he was already tired.

It was gonna be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ejdkedejkf there's some typos I need to fix, I'm sorry


	3. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing the third chapter but I'm not sure how to go by it. So the updates after this either will be slow or not. I'm not sure yet.
> 
> But this story is doing extremely well for it just to have a chapter or two. I'm surprised! Thank you so much.
> 
> Enjoy this next chapter.

Seonghwa finally was able to turn off the open sign once Mingi’s last appointment fled into the night. Both of them sighed deeply, Seonghwa throwing himself on the futon, running his hands through his hair.

“Busy day for this time of year.” Mingi stated, tugging at his ear lobe. He and Seonghwa had been busy ever since Yunho visited, and once Yeosang left, he gained about ten more customers than he would’ve had on a normal day. For some reason, Yeosang somehow brought more business in whenever he hung out with the two of them, and although Mingi was grateful, he got tired of socializing after a while. “The Yeosang effect never fails to happen.”

Seonghwa shrugged. “You gotta admit, whatever he does helps with the house budget, doesn’t it?”

Mingi nodded, walking to the fridge and pulling out a can of beer. The can hissed as he cracked it open and took a long sip before settling down beside Seonghwa. “I really hope I can get out of here soon. I’m sorry that I’ve been slacking, hyung.”

Seonghwa shook his head. “It’s fine. Take all the time you need to get the money. I’m just glad to help you out.” He said, unbuttoning his sleeves and top button of his shirt. Finally, he got to relax.

“What did I do to you for you to be so kind to someone like me?” Mingi asked, wrapping his arm around Seonghwa’s shoulder, pulling him closer.

Though Seonghwa isn’t a big fan of all the touchy feely, he knew Mingi appreciated it and so he let him. “You just reminded me of someone who I once knew. I wanted to help out someone I knew was in need.”

Mingi’s expression told him he was about to start tearing up, so he wanted to change the subject. He patted Mingi’s hand, prying it off before standing up. “Do you want anything to eat? I’ll pay.”

“I can grab myself something. I don’t want to bother you for anything.”

Mars rolled his eyes. “Mingi. It wasn’t really an offer I’m going to allow you to shut down. What do you want?”

Mingi’s eyes were glossy, and he looked down at his lap. “Ramyun?”

Seonghwa wasn’t surprised. This man pretty much lives on ramen. Sighing, he pulls up a number of a Japanese restaurant across town, and orders some takeout ramyun for the both of them. “Okay, should be here soon.”

“Thank you.” Mingi croaked, his nails circling the rim of the can in his hand.

“Mhm,” Seonghwa replied, strolling over to the TV they had set up in front of the shop, showcasing his handiwork in a slideshow. He tilted the screen over so it was visible on the futon, and plugged in the work laptop he had sitting idly by. He set on some random music playlist he had saved on youtube, just so the empty environment they were in was filled with some sort of noise other than themselves breathing.

He grabbed his own drink from the fridge, and then tossed himself into the dark leather seat they had invested in a few months ago. It deflated beneath him, but the man was so tired that he didn’t really care. It was comfortable enough for him to sit there and fall asleep.

“What did you want to talk about?”

Seonghwa took a drink of his beer, settling more straight in the chair, before placing his can in front of him on the coffee table. “Those bruises of yours.”

Mingi’s small smile he was wearing faded. “They’re nothing, don’t worry about it.”

“Who’d you fight this time? Was it the same guy you were having trouble with?”

The younger didn’t seem comfortable with responding, but the subtle shift in his seat gave it all away.

“What were you doing out there? I thought I told you you needed to stay away.”

“I was just grabbing something I had forgotten at a friend’s.” Mingi admitted. “Honest. I wasn’t going back to fight.”

“But you did.”

“Only to protect myself! It’s not easy having a memorable face. I don’t remember people, but they sure as hell remember who I was with.”

“I told you that if you needed something from over there, I’d go and get it. I don’t need you working in that condition.”

“I’m fine, okay? It’s nothing serious.”

“That’s not the point.”

“I know, I’ll let you know if I need to go back. Next time.”

Seonghwa didn’t like this part of his past. Mingi had dabbled in gangs; something he wasn’t aware of when he started dating the girl that had let him crash at her place. She was the daughter of a gang leader, and therefore he was a valuable target. He had been taught to fight to protect himself, but the life got too much for him and he fled. Now they were in the next state over, in an area that the gang didn’t touch. He was safe here, but if he kept going back, he wouldn’t be.

Sure, Seonghwa barely knew how to fight, but he cared for Mingi; probably more than Mingi believes he does. Because of this, he would do anything for him if he asked. This was something he would gladly do for him, just to make sure he was safe and wasn’t going to come back to the parlor with a broken rib or two.

“Do you need some painkillers?” Seonghwa questioned, glaring at the black bruise on his stomach.

He shook his head. “I should be fine. It’s nothing compared to what I’ve had before.”

The tattoo artist sighed. “Okay. Then, I’m gonna go work on some sketches. Do you want me to put on a movie?”

The bruised man finished his can before responding. “Nah. TV maybe?”

Seonghwa set up his Hulu to show live TV, and then put on what he remembered was Mingi’s favorite channel. “Anything else, you sap?” Twilight was showing on the channel, and he could see Mingi huddle underneath the blanket he had stored next to the futon, ready to binge watch.

“Will you get me another drink? This movie tends to be less cringey while you’re a little tipsy.” He asked, fiddling with his piercing right above his eyebrow. It was a habit of his that his coworker noticed had come about recently. He twirls it around in a circle, despite it being a ball shaped piercing.

Mars gave him a small chuckle before fetching what he requested. “Don’t drink too much, alright? It’s not good.”

“Okay, Mom.” Mingi teased, opening the can and sipping some more beer before tuning into the movie.

Seonghwa watched him as he scooted closer to the screen, his eyes wide with wonder as it came to the scene where Bella figures out Edward was a vampire.

With a small snort of laughter, he retreated into his work room, closing the door behind him.

“What a weirdo.” He said aloud, giggling to himself.

Now that he had time to himself, he shoved in some earbuds, and got to work. He grabbed his beaten up sketch book, some pencils and a ballpoint pen and he begins to draw whatever came to mind. At first it was a pirate ship, then a cross, then a meteor, and then something close to a distorted LED light bulb.

He had to pause what he was doing for a little bit to pay for the food and eat with Mingi, and that time only caused him to gather more ideas of what to draw. 

Though Seonghwa verbally abused the idea of the Twilight movies, he didn’t mind them. So he sketched a few characters from the show to get it out of his system on a separate piece of paper before returning to his tattoo page. 

All of the drawings on this page didn’t make any sense or correlate with one another, but some came out better than he thought they would. He’d definitely come back to the pirate ship; that sketch if he added thicker lines around the border… it would look phenomenal.

He sat back, massaging his hand, as it had gotten stiff after the small amount of time he had been sketching. Normally it didn’t cramp up this early, so he checked his phone to check how much time had passed.

11:30. He had spaced out so much that two hours had rolled by in the blink of an eye.

He needed to start heading home.

When he emerged from his hobbit hole of an office, Mingi was sound asleep, sleeping through the fight scene of the last movie. He doesn’t know how he went from the first movie to the last, but he really didn’t want to question it. Instead, he closed his laptop, and went back to Mingi to tuck him in.

In his drunken, tired state, Mingi opened his eyes slightly, smiling and giggling away when he saw his boss caring for him like that.

“Cuddle cuddle.” Mingi sang, reaching outward to pinch Seonghwa’s arm.

Seonghwa declined Mingi’s offer this time around. He had to get home; he had a pet he needed to feed.

He quickly shut down everything, and locked the front door, pulling down the blinds they had installed not that long ago.

Then, he snatched his keys from the counter where he left them, grabbed his phone and his charger he forgot in the other room, and stepped outside, his coat draped over his forearm.

Immediately he was greeted by the frigid air surrounding the building. He hissed, knowing if he didn’t hurry he’d probably be an icicle by the time he entered his apartment on the other side of town.

And like that, he shoved himself in his car, and sped away, desperate to get to his cat, Anko, who was most likely patiently waiting for her midnight feeding.


	4. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written at 3-4am so please excuse me for some errors that might show up. I’ll try to fix them when I find the time.
> 
> Also!! I just got a job interview so if everything goes well, I will start working soon. If that’s the case, updates will be slower than they are now, which they aren’t that slow... I blame that on myself being somewhat excited for this story.
> 
> Anyway, enough of me rambling. Enjoy :)

Three days after the Twilight night, Seonghwa pulled up to work in his usual long sleeved attire, except he was sporting a deep v-necked sweater, which was quite unusual for him. 

Lucky for him the weather had warmed up a bit, enough for him to only wear a light insulated jacket over top of his sweater. This was a blessing to the blonde haired man, as he despised the cold. He could tolerate it pretty well, but deep inside he was always desperate for some sort of warmth.

He took a long swig of his coffee he had grabbed from Wooyoung’s bakery, and began piling out of his car, strapping his belt from his jacket around him tightly.

Something was off about him today, but Seonghwa wasn’t exactly sure what it was. Maybe it was that when he spoke, his lip quivered, but that was barely noticeable. Or maybe it was that the goofy smile he always wore had morphed into a look of worry.

Anyway, Seonghwa was aware that if anything happened to his baker friend, he’d come here. He’s done it before whenever something was stressing him out; he’d probably do it again.

The tattoo artist rested his forehead on his steering wheel, regretting that he even came to work today. He had an awful hangover, and he almost certainly knew that the buzzing of his pen will only turn the headache that he currently had into a migraine.

His stomach churned. Maybe he should’ve let Mingi hold the fort, but since he was already here, he’d try his best to be useful.

Once he walked through the door, Mingi greeted him in his half-naked glory, downing an iced coffee Seonghwa purchased for him a few days back in the kitchen.

Suddenly, the smell of eggs penetrates his nostrils, and he scrunched up his nose. “What the hell, man? Is today your day to actually use this shit kitchen?”

Mingi blinked. “You’re the one that decided to buy an old restaurant, moron. Besides, if you have one, why not use it?”

“Since when can you cook?”

He shrugged. “I’ve been watching videos on how to cook certain things. I’m not an expert, but y’know.” He slammed the glass bottle on the counter, making Seonghwa wince. “You look like you just crawled out of a dumpster.”

Mars gritted his teeth, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples. “It wasn’t a great night last night. Don’t make me start the week day with a hangover and an urge to strangle my co-worker.”

“Oh, but it’s Monday. Doesn’t everyone want to strangle someone today?”

Seonghwa glared at him. “Just. Get a shirt on. We open soon, and I don’t need you walking around with your chest exposed like that with the customers.”

“Ah, c’mon. You like it, eh?”

His boss had to resist throwing his old iPhone at this man’s face as he crawled into his hobbit hole, shutting out every irritating sound that could drive him past his limit.

He decided to rest his head on his desk for a few moments, keeping the lights off to avoid any more pain that might come his way eventually as the day rolled on.

Lucky for him, he only had a few appointments today, and since the weather conditions would be somewhat rough today, he didn’t expect any walk-ins.

The only thing he would hope for was that he’d get through the day without a hitch. Though, with how he felt, he knew it would be tough.

~~~

Four appointments into the day, Mars’ headache has turned into an almost debilitating migraine. This was how it always was after such a long night of excessive drinking, and he always regretted it, but the temporary relief he gets from the alcohol was worth it sometimes.

This was maybe his twelfth time he’d had gone through this headache-migraine progress in the past year. Was he getting worse? Possibly. But that wasn’t his focus right now.

His lights were off once the client left, and if Mingi came in with news of another person arriving, he’d gladly imagine himself stabbing him with very... very dull daggers.

At last, he read the calendar they scribbled on in front of the store, reading that he only had one more appointment left. But he didn’t remember having it yesterday.

“Mingi?” Seonghwa mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “When did Wooyoung set up an appointment?”

“Oh, he called earlier today. He said that the bakery was closed today for some reason, and that he wanted something done.”

Seonghwa raised an eyebrow, but he failed to question it, instead he shuffled back to his room, clutching a fluffy pillow Mingi owned, laying it down on his desk as a cushion to hopefully numb the pain.

Before he knew it, he was being thumped on the head with a toy hammer by no one other than Wooyoung himself. The squeak was obnoxious in itself, but this small man had whacked him hard; so hard that the back of his head stung.

“Aish, what was that for?” Seonghwa asked, rubbing his head gently.

“You’re sleeping on the job! You deserved to be punished.” Wooyoung argued, pouting.

“Listen, man. I had a rough night. Give me a break. Plus my head is literally killing me.”

“Huh, I probably didn’t help your migraine, right?”

_Breathe, Seonghwa. Don’t punch the aggravating baker. Or else you won’t get your croissants._

Mars’ eyes took a little while to adjust to the brightness of his own office LED lights, but once they did, it wasn’t hard to see that Wooyoung was clearly in some sort of distress. The wrinkles on his forehead were more pronounced, and his face was a soft red and was stained with tear marks.

“What’s happened? Why’s the bakery closed?” 

Wooyoung’s playful smile faded. “We had some issues. It’s nothing to worry about.”

The tattoo artist, now perplexed, frowned. “Bullshit. What happened? You know you can tell me.”

Wooyoung was subconsciously running his fingers over his arms, his thumb pressing into his wrist. There laid a tight bandage, wrapped and pinned masterfully. Both of his arms were almost completely covered in them.

He winced once he realized his nervous habit was hurting him, and pulled his hand away from his arm. “We had an incident. The oven... it broke. I was unfortunate and got the brunt of what happened.”

Seonghwa’s jaw dropped. “How in the hell did it break?”

“Well, it didn’t break per se, it was just... used in the wrong way, and that lead to it pretty much malfunctioning...” He trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose out of frustration. “It’s just a little complicated.”

“Used in the wrong way, how?”

Wooyoung dug his fingernails into his unharmed shoulder. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I’m fine, and the bakery will be fine. I should be back to work in a few days. That’s it.” He said, seeming like he was choking back tears. “I didn’t come here to be apart of one of these conversations, I came here for a tattoo.”

Seonghwa found it a little odd for the boy to get so defensive over something, so he dropped the conversation as he requested. But what was even more intriguing about Wooyoung’s visit was that he wanted a tattoo.

He had told him personally several times that he never wanted one; as he was taught when he was young that it tainted your blood and that his parents would practically disown him if he got one.

Why did that change all of the sudden?

Wooyoung walked out of the room, and came back with Seonghwa’s binder of tattoo sketches. “Which one would you recommend for this kind of spot?” He lifted up the hem of his shirt carefully, exposing the bottom of his left side. It was right above his hip, in a very sensitive area to get a tattoo.

“Mmm. That’s not a question you want to ask me. Also, this spot in particular is very painful. Do you want to move your location you had in mind up a little bit?” Seonghwa asked, a small wave of nausea hitting him like a truck at this moment.

Oh no. Oh no.

“Mars, are you okay? You don’t look good.” Wooyoung chirped up, staring at the older with worry in his eyes.

“Excuse me for a second. I think I’m going to be sick.” Seonghwa tried to be as polite as he could, but the sound of his voice was shaky and not at all what he wanted.

He slapped a hand over his mouth, scrambling out of his chair and into the kitchen, snatching the garbage can from under the sink, and vomiting into it.

Mingi asked his customer to wait as he went to check on his elder, making sure he’s be okay, placing his hand on his back gently, rubbing his palm in circles as a comforting gesture.

It was over quickly, but Seonghwa was really hating himself. He was slumped over next to the trash can, scrunching up his nose, sighing deeply. “God dammit. I gotta stop doing this, don’t I?”

“Is this how it usually is when you drink?”

Seonghwa shook his head, laughing dryly. “If I get a migraine, it’s almost 100% likely that I will throw up. I know that I will, I just never know when.” He said, despising the taste that was laced in his mouth. He nearly gagged again. “Wooyoung, could you fetch me a soda from there?”

“Are you sure you should drink something like that-“

“I got a stash of gingerale in there. It should help me. Get me one, please?”

Wooyoung reluctantly chucked Seonghwa a can, and with a small thanks he chugs nearly half of the can down, wiling his mouth with his sleeve. 

“Are you okay to go back?”

Seonghwa nodded, humming as he gets himself back up to his feet. “Mmm. Though your tattoo might have to wait for another day.”

“I can come in tomorrow if needed. I think i just wanted consulting on the tattoo and where to put it today.” Wooyoung said, reassuring the eldest that it would be fine. “Since I won’t be working tomorrow.”

Again, this raised suspicion in the tattoo artist, but he said nothing other than an “Alright. Sure.”

They went back into the room to discuss where the ideal spot might be, and what tattoo may look best there.

Seonghwa suggested he get a tattoo just below his belly button, but to the left, on the side that he originally wanted his tattoo. It was less painful and was definitely a more common area than the hip.

He left the choosing to the younger, who was browsing through his catalog like an excited mom looking through a People magazine.

A bunch of Oohs and Aahs erupted from the boy, but Seonghwa paid little attention. Instead, he was trying not to snooze away with his face planted into Mingi’s plushie.

“What do you think about this one?”

He held up a star which was mainly a solid color, except half of each of the 5 points was just outlined in black. It was a mess of polygons, but it wasn’t normally something people chose for that spot.

Seonghwa gave him a questionable glance before groaning and setting his head back on his desk.

Wooyoung whined. “You’re not helpful.”

“And neither are you. Next time, come in with an idea of what you want, yeah? It’ll make life easier for both you and I.”

“For the record I was not planning on getting one; circumstances just changed.”

Seonghwa mumbled something completely incoherent, unable to find words to speak anymore. He was dozing off.

“Wait, what about this? It’s a lot less clunky.” He held up the entire binder in his hands this time around, pointing to a single word. Freedom.

“Now, that one I’m able to write pretty much anything in that font. Do you want that, or something else? One word though, don’t make it too tedious for poor old me.” Seonghwa said.

Wooyoung bit his lip, thinking hard about the decision. “Hmm. What about ‘Desire’?”

Seonghwa perked up. “Desire?”

“Yeah. Desire. Y’know. I desire change in my life, because how it is now... it won’t end well if things don’t change. This is my desire; to break rules set in place and to make new ones focused around my own beliefs.”

Mars tossed that explanation around in his mind for a moment before shrugging. “That’s an interesting idea. I like it.” He said, watching a content smile grow on Wooyoung’s face once again.

“Really?!”

“Yeah. It’s a good reason to get a tat. I’d applaud you, but loud noises don’t help my migraine.” Mars stated. “That one shouldn’t take that long, so you can come in tomorrow at whatever time is best. Just call me.”

Seonghwa walked Wooyoung out, and once the baker was in his car, Seonghwa crunched up his sweater in his fist, and sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting area, praying for this migraine to pass by dinnertime.

“Hwa, are you feeling better?” Mingi peered out of his door for a split second before stepping outward into the front room, headed to the back for some supplies.

“Not really.” He admitted, his head feeling more like it was ran over by an 18 wheeler eight more times than earlier. So no, better was out of the question.

“Well, this is my last appointment. Want to lock up after her and just chill?”

Seonghwa couldn’t argue with that. As much as he hates showing this vulnerable, sick side of himself, he was tired of being alone. He hated cuddling, but right now, he was craving it. He wanted to be taken care of. Not just by a significant other, but by a completely platonic best friend.

God, this was so unlike him. But hey, today was unlike any other. He just had to deal with whatever happened as it happened.

And today, he was going to fucking cuddle with his best friend.


	5. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so heads up for this chapter!
> 
> I don’t really know much about piercings and things like that but I did look up some information before hand to hopefully make it sound more realistic...?
> 
> I’m getting to the point where I want this story to be as realistic as possible but sometimes I can’t accurately talk about certain subjects.
> 
> Let me know if it sounds good!
> 
> Also I watch a lot of baking shows, hence the croquembouche comment. Heh.
> 
> Thanks for reading :)

Wooyoung’s bakery was a family establishment. Him and his family worked there, and luckily business was great for them. His parents were always smiling, their happiness rubbing off on others as soon as they walked into the homey baked goods shop, the bell chiming as they step in. Immediately the aromas of bread and cookies seep into their nostrils, leaving them like putty in the hands of the desserts waiting patiently in their display cases.

Seonghwa had to admit; everything that came out of there was delicious. From something as simple as a cake pop to something as difficult as a croquembouche... they were divine.

Even if Wooyoung always helped him feel welcome when he came by to visit, he always had this resting feeling of uneasiness in his stomach. There wasn’t a way to describe it other than a deep lying suspicion about how things are run.

The younger tended to focus on talking about random topics and stories rather than something about the bakery, and originally it brought him concern.

After such a long time of encountering this worrying sensation within him, he decided to brush it off. He couldn’t find much to latch onto; everything seemed completely fine to him. Wooyoung never hinted that anything was going bad, and from the outside, the bakery was perfect. Perfect parents. Perfect siblings. Perfect products.

In a way it was creepy, but alas... what was he going to do about it? He was just a tatted up artist who practically lived for sugar cookies and chocolate filled anything.

When Wooyoung’s name popped up on his schedule, he automatically knew something bad had happened. Mingi told him about how the bakery was closed, and Seonghwa knew something was off about that statement. 

They were too perfect. They wouldn’t close on such a random, unimportant day of the year for just anything. 

Was he just skipping work? He would never. Wooyoung’s sick? Then he wouldn’t

come here.

Overall it was just a mildly confusing comment, but he wanted to wait to hear from Wooyoung before he presumed anything.

Bandages are never a good sign. Once anyone saw those... they would know something is definitely going wrong. Right?

Wooyoung’s arms almost looked like they were dressed in part of a mummy costume. Not only did it boggle his mind that he would come into his parlor in that state, but he also didn’t seem like he went to the hospital or anything for it. 

So, after much thought, he waited until he knew Wooyoung was out of the area, and hopped into his car to go to the bakery.

Turns out he was lying about it being closed, as it was open and customers were flying in and out of it’s doors.

Seonghwa sat back in his car’s seat, crossing his arms. He’d been there yesterday morning through the drive-thru. There wasn’t anything wrong then... He claimed it was closed for the day, even though he had been there.

As soon as he dragged himself out of his car, the gnawing, anxious feeling that this place gave him began. His feet felt sluggish as his soles of his shoes slapped the sidewalk, and his mind played off the walk from his car to the bakery took hours, even if it was just a few seconds.

The bell jingled as he pushed the door open, and he was greeted by a rather enthusiastic hello from the people workingbehind the counter. He vaguely recognized most of them, but he didn’t know any of their names. It was a family run shop, but cashiers and busboys were hired to help with the influx of customers they received everyday.

Besides, he didn’t have a reason to know their names. If he didn’t interact with them everytime he came by to see Wooyoung, they weren’t exactly considered important.

Seonghwa, hands in his pockets, strolled up to the cashier, trying his best to ignore the pain from his still very painful migraine. “Hey.”

“Hey Mars! What’s up?”

“Can I talk to Wooyoung?” Mars tried to play it off as if he were here to see his friend, when in reality he was just seeing if he could get some information on what was going on.

“Wooyoung?” The cashier tugged at his earlobe nervously. “Oh, he’s not here.”

“Oh? Why not? Doesn’t he work everyday?”

“He felt sick, and so he called in sick.”

Bull.

“Oh. Well then can I talk his brother?”

His brother, who was about 6 years younger than him, worked as a busboy. He knew for a fact that he could reach him.

“He’s out today as well.”

Seonghwa blinked. “You’re kidding, right? The Jung’s never conveniently plan a day off like that.”

He shrugged. “I guess the sickness is going around. Sorry I can’t help you.”

The elder sighed, resting his arms on his head. “Alright, thanks anyway.” Obviously this kid wasn’t exactly to blame here, so it wouldn’t be right for Seonghwa to explode in his face about it.

Instead, Seonghwa returned to his car, climbing into his seat once more before leaning back, his hands running through his hair out of frustration. 

This wasn’t his business. It really wasn’t. But if his friend, who he cares for deeply, is in trouble and doesn’t want to say anything about it... he got worried. His intentions may be good, but now he was digging further into a hole that may not be great to dig in the first place.

Without another second of thought, he pulled out of the parking lot, speeding away back to his humble abode of a parlor. He definitely wasn’t in the best condition to be playing detective, and who even knows if this is a case that will pay off or not. 

Despite his strong urge to call Wooyoung, he decided to shoot him a text.

**Hey. I hope you’re doing better. I’m going to design your tattoo tonight.**

Of goddamn course he wanted to write more in the simple message, but he knew if he was too pushy, Wooyoung wouldn’t react very nicely to it.

He recalled a time in their relationship where Seonghwa perhaps took it too far when it came to questioning and Wooyoung avoided him for about a week.

It was a miserable week. At the time, Seonghwa didn’t even have Mingi or Yunho. Wooyoung was his only friend.

Mars knew he probably wouldn’t receive a text back until later on, so he tucked his phone away and forgot about it entirely.

He arrived back at the shop to Mingi’s serious face.

“Where’d you go?” He asked in a somewhat stern voice.

“Does it matter?”

He leaned against his piercing room’s door frame, crossing his arms. “If I recall correctly, both of us are supposed to tell one another where we go.”

“No, no. That’s not-“

“I’m kidding. Relax.” Mingi said, chuckling. “Actually, I’m glad you’re back now. I wanted to try out something on you.”

Mars didn’t like the sound of that. “I’m not a guinea pig, Mingi.”

“Ah ah ah, you didn’t even let me tell you what I wanted to give you. So rude, honestly.” Mingi pouted.

“What is it?”

“Nah, I don’t want to do it anymore. Forget it.”

Oh, don’t do him like this. “Mingi.”

“Nope. You said no before I even said anything. Why would I give it to a meanie like you?” He stuck his tongue out at his elder, his goofy smile radiating through the parlor like the sun.

Mars gripped the handle of the hammer he was whacked with earlier by the baker. “Do you really want to test me like that, Mingi-ssi?” He menacingly smacked the end of the hammer into his palm, a small squeak sounding from it.

Suddenly, Mingi hurled himself into his room, nearly locking the door as Mars approached him at lightning speed. He got there right before he closed the door, and blocked him from shutting it with his foot. Then, he pried the door open, being greeted by the sound of Mingi’s ‘very masculine’ screaming. He stared chasing him and beating his ass with the hammer as hard as he could.

“Seonghwa! Hey! Wai- Ow! That one hurt! Hwaaaa! Stop it!! I’ll tell you!”

Seonghwa obeyed, throwing the hammer in the air, twirling it by the handle before catching it again. He fixed his hair slightly, clearing his throat as Mingi caught his breath.

“I thought this piercing might look good on you, so I wanted to try it out.” He said, pulling out his phone to show him. Mars glared at the picture of a man with a spider bite ring piercing on his lip, frowning slightly.

“What’s wrong with the one? I like my one ring.” Seonghwa said, fiddling with it with the tip of his tongue. He got it about a year ago; The tattoo artist was often a guinea pig for certain things Mingi wanted to try.

“Oh, whoops. Not that one.” Mingi said, grabbing his phone back and muttering something under his breath before turning his screen back to his colleague. “This one.”

Seonghwa raised an eyebrow. “Is that what I think it is? An industrial piercing?”

Mingi plucked at his ear lobe, not meeting eyes with his deeply concerned friend. “Yeah. I mean, I think with the piercings you already have... it might look nice.”

The elder was surprised. “What do you need me to do it for? Do you have someone that’s interested in getting it?”

Mingi stumbled over his words like a toddler. “N-No- I just thought it might be a good addition, since they go well with helix piercings. And I’d just do your right ear.”

Seonghwa sighed. “Mingi, I’ll have to think about this one. It’s not like the helix ones, that one’s bigger and harder to do. Plus, my ears are sensitive.” He said, running his pointer fingers over the tips of his curved cartilage, feeling his helixes as he went. 

“Right, right. How can I forget that episode you had after just getting gauges?”

“Aish, don’t bring that up. That was...” He cupped his hands over his ears in fear that they might turn a lovely shade of red. “A difficult thing for me.”

Mingi laughed. “Fine, I’ll leave it alone. But, for the time being... did you think of that other piercing I mentioned doing on you a few weeks back?”

“The eyebrow one?”

His younger nodded, rotating his eyebrow piercing and showing it off. “It won’t be like my rings I have on mine. It’ll be the traditional barbell.” He said, walking away for a moment to bring out a sample of what he was talking about. “This is a curved barbell. Normally people prefer it to be vertical, so there’s an end poking out on the top and bottom of the brow.” He gently placed the jewelry onto his eyebrow, pressing down on it and grabbing a tiny mirror he had handy to show his co-worker how it would look.

Seonghwa glanced at himself, feeling the curved part of the barbell dig into his skin as Mingi pressed on it. However, looking at himself with the vision of having them helped him decide.

He was going to get not just one, but two. Two vertical piercings side by side on an area of his body he hadn’t pierced before.

Mingi squealed with happiness as he went to fetch his tools, coming back with a selection of different colors, shapes, and more.

“I don’t really like the ones with the spiked edges, but if you wanted to add on to your already intimidating look, it’d fit the part.” Mingi stated, playing with a spiked black and magenta colored barbell.

Everyone thinks at first glance that a tall, handsome man like him covered in tattoos and has a good amount of piercings is intimidating. He wasn’t one to make anyone think differently, but most people who meet him realize that he’s just a salty, lazy ass jerk who’ll never admit that he loves his friends.

Seonghwa shook his head. “I don’t really like the spiked ones. If I’m letting you do this without any compensation for my time and sacrifice, let me pick this one out.”

Mingi didn’t argue. Usually he paid with some sort of food, but today was not one of those days he’d go out and buy some. Instead, he’d beg with puppy eyes to experiment on him or pierce him in different areas. He may look tough on the outside as well, but damn he’s obnoxiously persuasive and kind of cute.

And to be fair, Mingi didn’t have a bad taste in piercings. If Mingi went along with something without asking Seonghwa about the design... he ended up loving it anyway. Mingi didn’t have the greatest fashion sense at times, but he and Seonghwa weren’t far off when it came to jewelry.

Seonghwa chose two silver ones with the rounded edges; the most common and classic one people go for.

“Okay!! Let’s get you prepared, shall we?”

Mingi sang as he got everything prepped for the piercing; it was a song Seonghwa wasn’t familiar with. He wasn’t used to hearing Mingi sing, as he wasn’t super confident with his voice, but hearing him now made Seonghwa smile. For the short amount of time that he was humming away, tapping his foot to the beat of the unknown song, Seonghwa’s pain from his headache began to dull.

Okay, maybe today won’t be as bad.


	6. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning:  
pretty graphic description of physical abuse  
panic attacks (i’ve never experienced one but i’ve seen people suffer from some, so details might be off, i’m sorry in advance)
> 
> heads up: this chapter isn’t as great as I wanted it to be but i needed to get one out. i do have ideas for the next couple chapters so we’ll see where this leads it.

Mars was upset that Wooyoung skipped his appointment, but that was okay. Maybe he was getting second thoughts about it. Being a kid from a family that shunned tattoos or any body modifications... he understood that it was pretty risky in the first place to even be friends with a tattoo artist for Wooyoung.

When the baker didn’t pick up any of Seonghwa’s calls later in the day, he began to grow anxious. He called after every other appointment, seeing if he could get a hold of him.

He was glad that he had a full day of customers piling in and out like packed ice, as it distracted him from his active worried state. But being busy with tattoos can only do so much for him.

By the time Wooyoung came by, it was 10:30pm. Two hours after they closed.

The knock on the front door sent Mingi flying off the futon onto the floor, smacking his head on one of the pillows he had thrown minutes beforehand. 

Seonghwa paused the horror movie they were watching, helping Mingi back onto the bed before figuring out who was there.

When he saw it was his best friend, he froze. Through the tinted glass in the middle of the night, he could see that his face was red, and his eyes were puffy. Had he been crying?

Seonghwa quickly unlocked the door and lead him inside, having him sit on the chair in the waiting room while he fetched him something to drink.

Mingi sat by him, comforting him as Wooyoung, though they hadn’t even spoken a word to each other, burst into tears once more, sobbing into Mingi’s shoulder.

Something bad had happened. He was definitely right to have his suspicions.

But he wasn’t happy that he was right.

Seeing the happy virus who had basically forcefully installed himself into Mars’ life wailing loudly as if he had lost someone dear to him... it was horrible to witness.

Seonghwa returned with three bottles of water and a granola bar for him, setting them on the coffee table in front of him before finding his seat across from Wooyoung.

He watched tentatively as his friend went from wailing to sniffling after what felt like an hour, patiently waiting until he was ready to speak to someone.

Wooyoung snatched another tissue out of the box he was given, blowing his nose before sighing with a shaky voice. “I should’ve told you, Mars. I should’ve told you what happened when I was here.”

Seonghwa crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. “What happened?”

“I haven’t been telling the truth to you. About the bakery.”

“I know, Wooyoung.”

He paused. “You know what?”

Seonghwa grabbed his water bottle, taking a long sip before closing the lid and tossing it on the table again. “Your dad. He’s not as perfect as he seems. Am I right?”

Wooyoung’s eyes widened, but he just glanced down at his scraped up hands, nodding slowly. “He’s been abusing me since I was little.”

Shit. _I was right. No. No..._

“When I was younger, it was just verbal abuse. But recently, it’s gotten a lot worse.”

“How much worse?” Mingi asked, putting his hand on Wooyoung’s, gripping it tight.

A tear fell down Wooyoung’s cheek. “A lot. He nearly killed both of us.”

Seonghwa blinked. “What?”

Wooyoung shook his head. “I- I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know why he’s been acting like this lately. Normally he’s okay, he’s tolerable, but... it hurts. It hurts so much, Mars. I don’t know if I can take it anymore.”

“How long ago did the physical abuse start?”

“Maybe about six months ago? He was doing fine. Verbal abuse... y’know, the usual. Calling me a waste of space, useless... he’s been doing it since I was young, so I’m fairly used to those comments. But every day, it just kept getting worse and worse. More violent, more threats... more throwing things.

“Eventually, I got home from work one day, and he had beaten my mother. They were going to have a date night, but instead he went ballistic and broke a few of her ribs and fractured her wrist.

“I took her to the hospital, and she was taken care of, but then he turned to Sungwoo and I. I’m glad my mother wasn’t involved, as she didn’t deserve it-“

“No one deserves that shit, Wooyoung.” Mingi interjected.

Wooyoung glanced at Mingi, who’s knuckles were turning white due to his fingers digging into his palm. He took a shaky breath and continued. “He took it too far this time around. Usually it was kicks and punches... nothing too bad. But this time around he somehow got a bright idea to mess with fire.”

Wooyoung stopped speaking, unpinning his wraps to reveal fairly serious burns he had all over his arms. They were blistering like crazy, and overall it made Seonghwa feel nauseous.

He wrapped himself up again. “He made us hold our arms out while he burned us. He forced us to stay still and not to scream. We couldn’t pull away or scream or else he’d kill my mom.” He said, choking up again. 

Seonghwa stood, walking towards his friend, softly putting his hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to tell us anymore. It’s okay.”

Wooyoung nodded before breaking down again, unable to control the pain he was feeling mentally and physically.

Seonghwa made sure Mingi would look after him while he called 911.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“Ah, hi. Yeah, so I have a friend who came over to my shop a few moments ago with severe looking burns on his arms. I’m not sure if he’s gotten them checked out but he might need to go to the ER.” Seonghwa stated, shutting the door to his office so Wooyoung wouldn’t hear.

“What caused the burns?”

“An idiot. His father burned him.” He said, trying not to break his act of being okay.

“His father? Where does he live?”

He proceeded to tell the operator the details, trying to make sure that his father was caught and was brought to justice after what he did to his sons.

Once they said they dispatched officers and EMTS to each location, Seonghwa hung up.

His head was spinning. He needed to sit down... breathe. He ran his back onto the wall, sliding down onto the floor as he tried to catch his breath. He couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t. It felt like hands were choking him, pressing down on his throat with intentions on killing him. Blood rushed to his ears, and suddenly he couldn’t hear anything but his heart beating rapidly. He was struggling to hold himself together. He felt tears escape him, along with a slight whimper as he scooted himself closer and closer to the wall, trying to escape from the invisible person’s wrath.

No, he didn’t need to do this right now. He was being pathetic. So pathetic. He couldn’t have an attack like this again. He promised.

But he couldn’t help it. His body forced him back into the state he once was in constantly years ago. 

He didn’t hear Mingi come in, but he felt his large hand grasp his knee, shaking it forcefully, trying to get his attention.

God. No. He needed to stop.

Please. Stop...

——

Moments later, Seonghwa brushed off his panic attack as if it were nothing, though Mingi was extremely worried. 

In all honesty, Seonghwa wasn’t okay. He was trembling as the EMTs arrived, questioning Wooyoung very calmly, seeing what they could get out of him before taking him to the ER to be evaluated.

As expected, he didn’t say much, but they thanked Seonghwa for his information as they set him up in the back of the ambulance. They took off without another word, and Seonghwa stood outside of his store, arms crossed, watching the ambulance speed away, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

The nearly below zero temperatures caused Seonghwa to shiver, but he was numbed by the feeling of extreme guilt.

Why couldn’t he have noticed sooner? Why did it have to get to this point before he realized his hunch was right and that he should take action on it? Why didn’t he try to help him earlier? 

Why did Wooyoung have to get hurt like that? He doesn’t deserve any of that. No one does. Why was he stuck with such an awful dad?

He was attacked by the frigid wind for about 15 more minutes before he headed back inside, locking the door behind him.

Mingi observed the man from the futon, but Seonghwa didn’t care. At this point, he couldn’t stop himself.

He squatted down, rubbing his eyes, trying to force himself not to cry. No more tears. No more tears.

“Seonghwa, are you okay?”

Seonghwa removed his palms from his eyes, and was greeted by Mingi, who was beside him, bending down to check on him. “What makes you think otherwise, Mingi?”

“Did- Did I walk in on you having a panic attack earlier?”

Seonghwa glanced down at his hands, balling them up into fists. “What do you want from me, Mingi? What? Do you want me to admit I have a weakness? That I’m pathetic? Because I’m not going to.” Mars snapped loudly, taking a deep breath and reeling himself in before answering him directly. “You can call it whatever you please. I’m tired of it.”

Mingi hesitated. “I- I’m sorry, Hwa, I didn’t mean-“

Seonghwa got up swiftly, grabbing his keys and his jacket. “I know, I know. I need to go, sorry Mingi.” He said, walking back over to his friend and handing him some cash. “Buy yourself something.”

“Seonghwa- I-“

He was out the door before he could finish his sentence.

~~~

Seonghwa was out of work for about 3 days. He had told Mingi that he was going to take some time off to visit Wooyoung, but in reality most of the time he was sat alone in his apartment, being greeted with constant memories of the past.

He knew he shouldn’t dwell on events that happened in his past, but it affected how he functioned now, so why shouldn’t he be worried about it?

On his third day, he shoved his head into his pillow, muttering to himself a couple numbers as he scribbled them down on a notepad in front of him.

Some people may think it’s childish for him to still document things in little journals, but it was something he used to do when he had no one else to talk to about his issues. They were small paragraphs, but very detailed, giving future Seonghwa insight of how he felt in that moment.

He mainly engraved tallies into the thick pages now, since that’s all he could get himself to do. The tallies did mean something to him, however.

“How many times did I have a panic attack this week?” “How many times did I think of him?” “How many times did you think of killing yourself?”

His friend from a while ago gave him this journal, and on each page it had this motivational quote printed on it.He was instructed to take the quotes to heart when he wasn’t around, and use that as some sort of encouragement until he could be around to help himself.

Unfortunately he couldn’t be in Seonghwa’s life anymore, so he made sure to follow them, no matter how shitty he felt.

This week’s tallies were based on his panic attacks. He had been doing so well, and the one he had at the parlor was the first one he had had in a good while.

He hadn’t gotten himself to stop. He counted the tallies again, before scrunching up his fists on the page, closing the journal and tossing it aside.

  1. He had had so many.

Why couldn’t he fix himself? Why couldn’t he be strong enough for his friend who was clearly going through worse stuff than him?

Why was he being so weak?

While Seonghwa was cursing himself for being so pathetic, his phone rang out in his silent apartment.

Groaning slightly, he reluctantly picked it up. He had been ignoring Mingi long enough.

“What’s going on with you? I’ve been texting you and calling you about work and you have been ignoring them.”

Seonghwa sighed. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Don’t worry. I’m sorry for ignoring you, I just needed a break.” His voice broke in the middle of the sentence, but he didn’t care anymore.

“Seonghwa... I’m sending Yunho over, okay? You don’t do anything stupid, you hear me? I will kill you.” Mingi threatened before hanging up.

Great. That’s exactly what he needed.

He guessed he’d have to be somewhat decent for his friend’s arrival, so he decided to change his clothes and quickly wash his hair in the sink.

After waiting for a good hour, he was sulking in his bed when he heard a knock on the door.

“It’s unlocked,” Seonghwa grumbled loudly. 

Yunho then peeked inside, his pale blue hair surprising Seonghwa once again. “Howdy!”

Seonghwa craned his neck, greeting his friend with a small nod before throwing his head back into the comfort of his pillow.

Yunho’s shoes squeaked as they hit the wooden floor, and the door shutting sounded ten times louder than usual on it’s creaky hinges. He recognized ths sound of rubber soles hitting the ground as Yunho shuffled towards his friend in his socks, nearly pile driving onto his bed without warning.

Seonghwa stifled a scream as he bounced upward because of Yunho’s sudden cannonball, slamming his head onto the bed’s headboard.

Seonghwa grimaced as Yunho sat up immediately, shaking his hands in fear of hurting his friend seriously. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?”

The elder rubbed his head. “Just peachy.”

“You always thought it was funny when I did that, so I thought it would crack a smile if I did it again.” He said nervously, twirling his fingers around in a circle.

“Don’t do it while I’m on it, genius. This mattress is practically a trampoline.” Seonghwa muttered, getting a small laugh out of the dancer.

“Sorry.”

The blonde haired man propped himself up on the wall, sighing. “It’s fine.”

He noticed the sudden silence in the room, and realized that Yunho finally got a good look at him.

He looked awful. He hadn’t eaten in a few days, and he was sporting very dark bags under his eyes. He was only in a raggedy tank top and jeans, showing off his skinny self and his tattoos in all their glory.

Sometimes while he was like this, he wished he could claw off all the ink. He hated some of them. So much so.

“It’s worse than I thought.” Yunho said, glaring at Seonghwa’s sides. “It’s way worse than what he told me, isn’t it?”

“Mingi doesn’t know about much, remember?” Seonghwa said. “I haven’t told him.”

“Right, right. I still think you should tell him about this, I mean... clearly this isn’t healthy, Seonghwa.”

Hearing Yunho say his name made him flinch unexpectedly. “What can I do?”

“You can talk to me. My phone is always on me; If you need someone to rant to, you could literally just call me.”

“I didn’t want to bother you. I know you’re busy.”

“Don’t play that card on me. I would close up my studio for you if anything happened right away, so don’t tell me that I’m too busy to be bothered by something as important as this.” Yunho said. His eyes were focused on his hands in his lap, his fingers spaced out in the air. Then, he balled them into fists. “Do you need to stay at my place for a bit? I’ll take off a few days so I can check up on you.”

Seonghwa shook his head. “I... I already told Mingi I’d be back tomorrow. I already missed a good amount of days when it snowed-“

“But that was snow, Seonghwa.” Yunho snapped. “This is different.”

He shrugged, sitting up slowly to pet Anko, who was curled up beside Yunho (That little brat loves him more than her owner). “I’ll get over this, just like I normally do.”

“That’s not the point here. You should be taking more time off. Wooyoung wants you to visit him, and he wants you to take care of yourself.”

“What’s the point of doing that? I’m the one supposed to be helping you two, yet I still managed to fuck up.”

“In what way is that your fault? Wooyoung decided to not tell us what was going on. It’s a touchy subject for him. For him, it was normal. You cannot blame yourself or him for any of this.” Yunho argued. “Also, you aren’t in charge of taking care of us twenty four seven. We can take care of ourselves.”

Seonghwa shook his head. “Do you see how Wooyoung turned out? He couldn’t do it. He wasn’t able to take care of himself while this monster was abusing him. I should’ve done something.”

“No, you shouldn’t have.”

“Yes I should’ve. I was already suspicious of it. I should’ve just listened to my gut. It’s my fault he’s hurt.”

“Listen to me!” Yunho yelled, causing Seonghwa to flinch. He’s never raised his voice before. Yunho’s face was an intense shade of red, and if he were in a cartoon, Seonghwa would see the steam coming out of his ears. This was completely unlike his friend. “Get your shit together! You are not the one to blame in this situation. You aren’t! There’s no way you could’ve done anything other than help him when he came and admitted everything to you. There’s no way you could’ve known. There was no way you could’ve saved him until that moment. You did the right thing in calling the police. You saved him. Isn’t  that  what should be important to you? He’s able to heal from his wounds and continue on with his life normally! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” Yunho took a deep breath. “You didn’t fuck up here, Seonghwa. You really didn’t. You just keep telling yourself that because that’s all you think you do. Am I correct?”

Seonghwa was speechless. He felt a tear roll down his cheek, and he rushed to cover his face with his hands.

Yunho sighed, bringing himself closer to Seonghwa. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get angry. But I’m not wrong. I know I’m not.” Yunho gently moved Seonghwa’s hand away from his face, revealing his tear stained face and utter despair. “All I want you to know is that your past doesn’t define your worth.”

Without a second of hesitation, Yunho pulled his elder into a warm hug. “Just because Taewon left you that note after he passed doesn’t mean that his words are what you are. You aren’t a monster. You aren’t messing up. You may be a little bit broken, but that’s okay. Everything can be fixed with a little love and time.

“I promise I’ll be better to you, okay? I don’t like seeing you like this. We both don’t need you beating yourself up. You’re completely okay. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Seonghwa didn’t deserve this. 

He really didn’t.

He clutched Yunho, grabbing his hood, twirling his hands into fists, crying softly into his shoulder.

He didn’t want this. 

But sometimes people get things they don’t want in their life. And they might not be that grateful in the beginning to receive it, but... they figure out at a later time that it’s truly a gift.

Seonghwa was finally starting to realize what his gift was.

The gift was his friends. The gift that kept giving.

He couldn’t be more thankful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m sorry- i hope this was okay.  
i really do like writing this story but i’ve been dealing with some personal issues and i’m trying to get a job.
> 
> life’s been busy and i haven’t been able to write all that much. but you guys can expect a new chapter soon.


	7. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a quick little chapter, but I will make up for it by uploading the next one pretty quickly.
> 
> I wasn't sure what to write in this one but this way came out the best.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> (ALSO ONEUS HAS A COMEBACK TODAY. STREAM LIT ((if you want, i do love those boys tho)) )

_Mingi’s Log:_

_ The camera on Mingi’s old phone adjusts to the lights in the room, becoming blurry and then focusing on his face. He’d been restless, and it was about three a.m. _

_ “It’s uh… too early for me to speak properly right now, but I’m hoping that if I talk, I’ll be able to sleep.” He said groggily, ruffling his hair with his free hand. His grip was steady, but he could feel the shakiness in his palms. _

_ “Seonghwa has been out for nearly three days now. He’s bunking with Yunho, which comforts me a bit, but there’s still that eating feeling in my stomach that’s not going away. _

_ “The truth is, I’m scared, y’know?” He rested his head on his forehead, himself barely visible in the dim light. “I want to know what’s going on, and help with what I can. However, there’s a slight amount of me that knows that if I never know, I won’t have to worry as much.” _

_ He shifted in bed, now laying on his side, his eyes staring deep into the camera. “I don’t know what to do. I really don’t. Seonghwa’s my friend. No, more than a friend… a brother. He’s helped me out through my lowest point in my life… I want to help him. Is that too much to ask? He’s given me a good home, where there’s always food, air conditioning, and a bed to sleep on… Why can’t I provide him with some reassurance that things will be okay? Isn’t that the least I should do?” _

_ “I’m not good to him. I just use him for what he gave me… don’t I?” _

_ Mingi sighed. He shouldn’t be talking so negative about himself. “Ah, I don’t know man… maybe I’m just overthinking things, but… I really need to know if I’m being a good and fair friend to him. Maybe I should be more open to helping and be more firm with what I say? Seonghwa functions in a weird way that I can never put my finger on how to approach him in certain situations..” _

_ He took a brief moment to switch hands, flicking out the feeling of tiredness and pain out of it. “I needed to record this. I’m sorry for the negativity, but for some reason… I can’t help it. _

_ “When you realize you don’t know anything about your best friend, the friend you’ve known for two years… you figure out that maybe you’re not the best person in the world.” _

_ Mingi draped his hand over his eyes, lost in thought, pressing down on his temples. Did he even know what he was saying? Seonghwa treated him as a friend. He was his friend. Right? _   


_ He couldn’t take his frustrating thoughts anymore. He couldn’t record them. He reached out to his phone, hovering his finger over the stop recording button before saying: “Mingi, signing out.” _

_ He really regretted everything. The man really just wanted to cry. _

_ Mingi needed to stay strong for his friend. If he was struggling, then he had to be the rock he could rely on. _

_ But how long could he keep this up? _

_ He hoped it would be for a while. _

_ \----- _

Seonghwa returned to work after a week.

It’s not like he had a choice in the matter; Yunho was not going to let him return to the parlor until he knew that he was doing better. Wooyoung and Yunho apparently made a blood pact that swore that they wouldn’t let Seonghwa breathe in any eraser shavings until he was stable enough to drive and handle the normal work day hours without breaking down.

Honestly, he didn’t mind as much as he should. He enjoyed having company during a time like this. He hadn’t had it before and it was extremely helpful.

Speaking with Wooyoung about things certainly did clear up a lot. He updated me on what would happen with his dad, and when his brother and him should be released, if everything goes to plan. His dad was going to jail, and he was going to testify, but only when he was better.

Yunho assured Seonghwa that he would _ not _ be going alone; Yunho was going to see if he could get into the trial or at least be outside if he needed some comfort after the hearing.

He drove to his shop at a slow pace; not even sure himself if he was ready to come back. He was tired of being kept in a home with nothing to do, and he persuaded himself that he needed to do something. 

While grabbing his things from the back seat, he noticed a silhouette in the corner of his eye. They were further out, balancing on the gauges hammered into the old train tracks. He felt eyes staring at him as he climbed back out of his car, slamming the door shut next to him.

This wasn’t the first time he’d seen something like this; and if he was correct, it won’t be his last. He decided to ignore the burning sensation filling his chest as he tumbled inside, watching the silhouette jog away in his peripherals.

_ They’ll be back. I’ll deal with them another day. _ He told himself, hearing the door squeak and close behind him.

“Yeosang?” Mingi perked up from underneath his covers, turning his head to only see his boss entering from the kitchen.

“Hey, bud.”

Mingi’s eyes widened, as he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. “Seonghwa! What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean? I’m here to work.”

“A-Are you doing okay?” Mingi stammered, getting off of the futon and sliding on a shirt before approaching his elder.

Seonghwa just shrugged. “Yeah, I’m fine. Were you worried?”

Mingi wrapped his arms around Seonghwa, pulling him into a hug. “I’m glad you’re back.” He whispered, squeezing tight before letting go, and turning away to make his bed.

Seonghwa was slightly frozen from the sudden embrace his friend gave him, but he brushed it off and continued into his tattoo room as if nothing happened. “What’d I miss when I was out?”

Mingi informed him briefly of the people that came in, and the clients he was able to do tattoos on. He had a list of names of people that had come in and left empty handed, but requested a call whenever he was back from his break.

“Oh… uh, Yeosang’s coming today. I need his help with a few things.” Mingi said in a shaky voice. “I hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah. That’s fine.” Seonghwa replied, narrowing his eyes. Something was off about him.

He decided to not comment about it. After all, who was he to ask about other people’s issues when he couldn’t even deal with his own?

All he hoped for was a good rest of the week.

Could he get what he wanted for once?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hyped for ateez's comeback soon?  
i know i am  



	8. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stream LIT by Oneus!
> 
> Also tHE ATEEZ TEASERS ARE 😩
> 
> I promised another chapter soon so here y’all go.

“Seonghwa, are you listening to me?”

Yunho’s voice rang out from Seonghwa’s phone as he sat at his desk, his head resting on a pillow. He hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, and was spacing out constantly. Normally he slept like a log, but last night, nightmares kept haunting him.

He only came to work because he felt like he had to.

“Seonghwa!”

“Hmm?” Seonghwa grunted, shooting up from his seat.

“How are you doing? Are you okay?” The sound of concern in his voice stirred Seonghwa up. The tattoo artist did not want him to scold him. Not right now.

“I’m fine, Yunho.” He snapped. He let out a breath. “Just a little tired.”

“You don’t sound fine.” He responded.

“Yunho, please. I’m seriously okay, I didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

“Seonghwa…” Yunho sighed, exasperated. “Okay. I trust you. But call me if anything happens.”

Yunho hung up, and Seonghwa groaned. Though he loved his friend, sometimes he could get a little much. He let the phone ring until it started beeping obnoxiously, and then turned off his phone.

“Hwa, I got some pizza. Do you want some?” Mingi said, knocking quietly on the door before entering. “Its pepperoni.”

Seonghwa perked up, and his stomach growled. He cupped his hands over his stomach, trying to suppress the loud roar coming from his abdomen.

Mingi’s smirk grew as he brought him two slices. “Ah, I guess I came in at the right time.”

Seonghwa yawned. “Thank you, Mingi.” He said in a small voice, before grabbing the plate and taking a large bite out of the pizza.

He hummed in delight. “Aw man, I forgot how much I love this stuff.”

“Well yeah, it’s from that place across the street.”

“Bless you.”

Mingi’s smile faded. “So uh… How many more appointments do you have today?”

Seonghwa held his finger up until he swallowed a chunk of cheese he had pulled off the crust. “I think about four? It’s still kind of early, so I can’t say. Why?”

Mingi huffed. “Right. I was just curious. There’s some more pizza in the kitchen if you want some more, okay?”

“Mmm, okay.” Seonghwa said, Mingi leaving the room after his reply. He’d definitely noticed Mingi’s strange behavior lately, but again and again he had refused to confront him about it. Maybe he would have to, because it was worrying him.

~~~

Later on in the day, Seonghwa finished up with the hopefully last walk in of the day, sighing with relief as they walked out the door. Mingi told his co-worker that he’d be working on a regular client of his, and wouldn’t be out for a while.

He took the time to finish eating the pizza he wanted to eat a few hours ago, and sat in the waiting room, playing 8 ball against Wooyoung on his phone.

A few minutes passed, and suddenly, a man wearing all black abruptly pulled the doors open, rushing in like he was running from something. His movements were sporadic, and it seemed like he was is a great amount of distress.

Maybe he was angry and wanted a tattoo removed. Though that was probably wishful thinking.

He’s had some drunk customers angrily trash the place after being denied service. Usually they were rude and demanded something from Seonghwa that he wasn’t just gonna give up for them, so this wasn’t exactly unusual behavior.

Seonghwa stood immediately, nearly chucking his phone aside.

The man was breathing heavily, and he slammed his hands on the front counter. He could hear a whimper come out of the man’s lips, and even though Seonghwa was in a state of panic, he knew that something was up.

He looked up at Mars. “C-Can you help me?”

Seonghwa’s eyes locked with his, and suddenly he wasn’t too afraid anymore. He could see that the man-- who was actually a boy, seeming younger than him-- needed someone right now.

Seonghwa blinked. “It depends on what you need.” he said calmly.

“I just… I-I need somewhere to stay. Just f-for tonight. Please? I- I can’t go back home.” He pleaded, freaking out more as time passes. He began to pace around, frequently peering over his shoulder to see if anyone was walking by.

Something was definitely off.

Seonghwa paused for a moment, trying to think of something to say. “Uh… uh-”

They could hear sirens began to sound in the distance. The boy froze. “Please! Please hide me! I can’t get in trouble. I can’t. I can’t.” He repeated over and over, clutching his head with his hands in frustration. “I just needed food. My family can’t afford it.” He cried out, hyperventilating.

Without thinking, Mars pulled him into his office, shutting the door behind him as the red and blue lights started to become visible. “Alright, alright. Calm down. Calm down. It’ll be okay.” He assured him, becoming slightly frantic as he began to try and think of what he just did.

What did he do? Did he just aid a criminal?

_Oh no. _

Was he stupid or something? How the hell was he going to get out of this?

Him and the boy waited until the sirens faded away before exhaling the breath they were holding.

“T-Thank you.”

Seonghwa nodded in a daze. Both of them were bunched up underneath the window he had in his office, listening to themselves breathe as the clock ticked away.

His heart was still racing; he probably wasn’t going to forgive himself for this.

“I’m sorry for coming in like that... I- I just needed-“

“I get it, man.” Seonghwa interjected. “I get it. I just hope I don’t regret helping you.”

The boy was silent. Tears no longer ran down his cheeks, but he was trembling.

Seonghwa, although he was a bit fast at getting up, stumbled onto his feet, sighing deeply. He sat at his desk once again, holding his head in his hands.

What was he going to do now? He really did it this time.

“What do I do now?”

The boy looked at him with glossy eyes, not sure of what to do next. He stared at the man who helped him and then at his palms, cursing himself for what he’d done.

“What did you do?” Seonghwa asked.

“I only shoplifted a few things, but I can’t afford to go to jail. I can’t. I have people to take care of.” He replied. “I just needed food. Is that so much to ask?”

“There are other ways to get food. There’s a soup kitchen nearby, you know.” Seonghwa told him.

“I’m not going there. I can’t. It’s like... they’ll know something’s wrong. I can’t.” The boy kept shaking his head. “I can’t.”

“Who will know?”

“I can’t.. I can’t...” He repeated, beginning to cry once again.

Seonghwa turned to face him, bending down to his level. “Okay. Calm down... It’ll be okay, alright?” He said, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. 

_Think, Hwa. Think_. 

“Right. Let me get something for you to eat and drink, and then we’ll sit and talk. I need to figure out what happened before I help you out any more.” Seonghwa stated.

He grabbed a cup noodles that Mingi had on standby and heated it up, and brought along Seonghwa’s own water bottle he bought earlier today. It wasn’t much, but since Mingi pretty much only runs on instant noodles, it was the best he could do.

When he came back in the room, the boy was still in the same position, only he shifted a bit so he could pull his knees closer to his chest. He looked like he calmed down a little bit, but he still seemed a little jumpy.

He jumped at the sound of the door opening, so he imagined this whole situation was incredibly overwhelming to the poor guy.

Amazingly, it was extremely panic inducing to Seonghwa, but he had a tendency of wearing a cold expression on his face. He was so glad he had that ability, especially for situations like this.

Seonghwa cautiously approached the boy, setting the cup noodles a few feet away from his shoes, along with the bottle. He wasn’t sure how the shoplifter would react if he would’ve handed it to him directly.

Everything was still in the room for a moment. The kid didn’t move, and Seonghwa was getting more impatient as time passed.

His damn noodles were gonna get cold.

“I made them for you.” Seonghwa said, crossing his arms. “I find that it’s easier to talk to someone who’s in a rough situation after they’re fed. And given the information you already gave me... you must be starving.”

The kid, although he was very careful, swiped the cup noodles and inhaled them as fast as he could. He was finished with them in the matter of two to three minutes.

Seonghwa just observed him as he ate, making sure he seemed like he was telling the truth about being hungry. The fact that he ate the worst kind of noodles that fast without retching was a telling sign that he wasn’t lying.

Seonghwa wheeled his chair over to the discussion bench he has set in his room, locking the door to the office before beckoning the kid over.

He hesitated, but slipped onto the bench, where he refused to make eye contact, keeping his attention focused on his knuckles.

“Was that alright for you for the time being? The food, I mean.”

He nodded. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it, kid. Now, I’ll try not to pry into anything you don’t want to reveal... but I need to know what happened.” Seonghwa grabbed a pen off of his clipboard and clicked it a few times out of nervousness. “Is that okay with you?”

“You’re not an undercover cop or something?”

“Nah. I’m just a humble tattoo artist who just assisted someone who was running from the law.” Seonghwa said, laughing in disbelief of what he just said. “I’m Mars.”

“Mars?”

“It’s a nickname I was given when I was young. It’s what I prefer to be called.”

The boy frowned slightly, fiddling with his thumbs. “Okay then.”

“And what should I call you? I can’t call you kid forever, y’know. Especially since you don’t look that much younger than me.” Seonghwa scrunched up his nose. He was definitely younger looking, but he guessed he was still in high school.

“O-Oh. I’m uh... I’m Jongho. It’s nice to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that shoplifting isn’t like... the worst crime ever but I didn’t think Jongho should be hiding from being caught by like something outrageous like armed robbery...
> 
> That just doesn’t fit him, y’know?
> 
> Anyway!! I plan on introducing Hongjoong and San soon in these next few chapters.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!


	9. Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let’s pretend like Seonghwa’s like... 22 in this and Jongho’s 17. It works better that way and makes more sense.
> 
> Thank you :)
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading. I really appreciate it. A lot of hard work is going into this, and it’s paying off.
> 
> Love you guys so much.
> 
> Enjoy!

Throughout the night, Jongho was asking questions here and there, but he was so frightened that nothing much came out of it. About an hour passed, and Seonghwa still had no idea what to do. Both of them were frozen in place, trying to wrap their heads around the situation at hand.

Here Mars was, locked in a room with a boy he doesn’t know who was just getting chased for shoplifting. Jongho was stuck in a room with some intimidating, hard ass looking tattoo artist and he’s not sure if he can trust the man.

They’re digging for reasons to escape the awkward tension.

“Mars?”

Seonghwa was sitting at his desk, his feet propped up on the top, picking at his nails. “Hmm?”

“A...Are you going to turn me in?”

Seonghwa shook his head, glancing at the kid. “Nah.”

“W-Why not? I-I’m a criminal, I-”

“For some reason I don’t think you are. Don’t seem like the type to me.” Seonghwa said, his lips twitching slightly. He forced himself not to smirk.

Jongho frowned. “What do you mean? You don’t even know me-”

“Kid, with all due respect… I know people when I see them. Read you like a book.”

The boy swung his legs off the edge of the bench, tapping his foot nervously on the tile floor. “This was a one time thing. But I was doing it for a good reason.”

“Stealing food for other people isn’t that cool.”

“If I had a choice I would take them to that kitchen, but I can’t.”

Seonghwa was perplexed. “Why not? It’s about five minutes from here. Can’t you just get a ride there for them?”

“No.” Jongho snapped. “How can I find a ride for 5 other kids and myself to a soup kitchen without our foster parents knowing? It’s literally impossible…”

That’s what he was looking for. An answer that cleared up everything for him. His body language told him that he wasn’t lying. No tell tale signs of lying showed during their conversation, and that was convincing him more and more that this kid wasn’t all that bad.

“They count on me for everything. I can’t just… let them suffer and do nothing about it, okay?” Jongho’s voice quivered. The boy began to sob, and Seonghwa quickly removed himself from his chair, approaching the kid’s side. “Three of them are in elementary school, and two are moving through middle school. I’m the oldest. I’m not even through high school, and I’m doing everything I can…” He balled his hands into fists, his knuckles turning white in his lap.

“Okay. It’s okay. It’s alright.” Seonghwa murmured, hesitantly hovering his fingers over the boy’s wrist. He gently glided his hands over the boy’s arms, rubbing slightly in an attempt to comfort him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that was the case.”

He snatched his hand away from Seonghwa’s grasp, slipping off the bench and began pacing across the room. “I don’t need you telling me that it wasn’t right. I know that. I know it wasn’t smart but when left to my own fucking devices, without any help from our useless foster parents… you tend to get desperate.”

“I wasn’t going to tell you anything other than I kind of understand what you’re going through.” Seonghwa said, observing the kid as the soles of his shoes squeaked on the concrete flooring. 

“Kind of?”

Seonghwa grinned, but then it faded away like a lost memory. “I had a friend in middle school who did anything to take care of his sister. They were both living in a broken home where their mom was always out drinking, and their dad wasn’t anywhere to be found.” The tattoo artist wandered back over to his desk, where he sat back into his chair, pulling out a sketchbook from his drawer. He began to doodle as he spoke, attempting to deal with the nerves he was needing to get rid of. “Long story short, he got in with some bad people solely to earn money to raise her right. I can’t judge people for doing things like that; they’re just dealing with what they were handed in life and they’re rolling with it.”

Jongho’s head hung low as he adjusted his hoodie. “So then... you don’t think I’m a bad person for doing what I do.”

“Nah. Not at all. You have your reasons.”

The boy swallowed. “Well then, that’s a first. Besides the kids... most people consider me as a delinquent.”

“That’s probably because they have no idea what you’re going through. You’re doing what you can with what you have.” He tapped his pen on the edge of his sketchbook, biting his lip. “How close are you to being sent to another foster?”

Jongho was silent for a few moments. “They’re already considering it. This might get them to move forward with it. But I don’t want to be sent away again. I’m almost 18... if I can make it to October without any hitches, I’ll be able to leave their care and hopefully help them while I get my own place.”

Seonghwa stabbed his pen into the paper. “Right. Do you think they’ll figure out it was you?”

He shook his head. “It wasn’t a place close to my house. If I grabbed anything I had my hoodie over my hands, I kept my face down and I still have whatever I took.” He said, showing Seonghwa the packets of ramen, some headphones, and a bag of chips.

Jesus, how big were his damn pockets?

Seonghwa grunted, holding his urge to laugh in his throat. “Okay.”

Jongho’s hands shook as he rubbed his legs, attempting to warm them up. He glanced up at the owner of the shop, a glaze of concern painted over his expression. “Mars... what should I do?”

Seonghwa let the question roll through his mind for a moment, though he knew Jongho was hoping for a straight answer after a few seconds. He cleared his throat. “Can I ask you something, kid?”

Jongho was fiddling with his hoodie strings, barely paying attention anymore, but he nodded.

“Now. I probably shouldn’t do this for you, but my gut thinks I should. I’ll help you out with food.”

Jongho perked up, his eyes finally landing on Seonghwa’s. “Really? I-“

“Hold on, hold on. Let me finish. I will help you out with food, but I need something in return from you.”

His happiness faded. “What do you need?” He asked, his voice low.

“I need you to stay out of trouble.” The kid didn’t seem like he was expecting that answer. He scratched his forehead while watching Seonghwa as he stood. “Getting in trouble with the law isn’t good for anyone, whether it’s a good or bad reason. The fact that you’re risking your position to help out... it’s kind of dumb. If you get caught, what will they do? It’s just not smart.”

Jongho exhaled loudly. “If I get help, there won’t be a need to do anything that stupid.”

“Okay then. Don’t let me down, and I’ll help with what I can.” Seonghwa said, crossing his arms. “Now. I’ll drive you home. Let’s go.”

~~~~

Seonghwa felt inclined to take care of Jongho. He reminded him of a friend he went to school with; someone who was in the foster system.

Those memories... he was very fond of them. They took place at a time where he needed to distract himself, and they’ve always stuck to him like gum on the bottom of his shoe.

Though he was transferred away after about a year of living in Seonghwa’s old town, his mark was already made on him. After that, if there was any foster kid who needed a little mood booster or needed protection from the bullies in his school, he’d do what he could.

Seonghwa pulled up to a stop at the light, gripping his steering wheel tight. Jongho was sat beside him, eyes closed. He dug his nails into the hem of his hoodie as they drove, anxious of every little thing that could possibly go wrong.

Soft music played through the silent car, filling the space with some songs that Mars was unfamiliar with. The genre wasn’t something he listened to; but it fit the somewhat suffocating atmosphere.

“Do you guys have food for tonight?”

“Uhh, probably. Junwoo helps me out sometimes with the workload, and I told him that if I didn’t come home to feed everyone the canned stuff.” Jongho replied, his eyes focused on a small water stain in the ceiling of his car.

Seonghwa hummed. “Okay. You have a phone?”

“I do.” He said, resting his forehead on the window, looking out into the dark of night. Buildings flew by as if they were blurry illusions. He then unzipped his jacket, pulling out a phone from his inside pocket.

The light from the screen flashed brightly within the car, making Jongho groan from the sudden amount of white attacking his eyes. He turned the brightness down, unlocking his phone and scrolling through briefly before turning to Seonghwa. 

Mars told him his number slowly, making sure he got it correct and he made him call to make sure. “Alright. You call me if you need anything. If you need a ride to the store, call. I’m usually at my parlor, so if you can’t get a hold of me just go there.”

“Are you sure you want this? This... this is a lot to ask of someone.” Jongho seemed a little wary of this deal now, tossing his phone down onto his legs.

“I’ll do what I can to help.” Seonghwa said plainly. “It’s what I do after all. Help the people in the worst situations until they can get back onto their feet.”

Jongho crossed his arms, folding his leg over his knee. “I didn’t peg you as that kind of person.”

“Is it the tattoos that throw you off?”

He shook his head. “Not necessarily. It’s just, you don’t come off that way to me. The tattoos help a bit with your intimidating factor, but... that’s it.”

Seonghwa wet his lips. “Well, I try to give back when I can. It’s the least I can do.”

The ride was primarily silent from then on, aside from the occasional directions coming from Jongho. Mars felt comfortable enough to put his own tunes on while they began to reach their destination.

Both Jongho and Seonghwa had a discussion about music and which music they enjoy once that started, and Seonghwa found out that Jongho had an amazing voice.

It wasn’t one of those mediocre voices that get the trophy on those reality talent shows... it was something more. Ten times more impressive; ten times more breathtaking.

Though it was just a small part of the chorus he heard, it was enlightening to say the least. This showcase of his hidden gift only made Seonghwa grow more passionate about helping this boy out.

They pulled up a few houses away from what was presumably his; an old colonial type home with a massive front yard and a tan van in the driveway. The grass were overgrown in a way that the home looked shabby and abandoned.

“I need to sneak in; do you mind flashing your headlights to the back fence to the right of the house? I need to see which plank I need to shift to crawl under.” Jongho said, wrapping his hoodie around him tight as he climbed out of the car. 

Seonghwa waited for him to get a safe distance away from his car before he began to turn away, directing his lights to point in the specific direction he was told.

In the dead of night, he wouldn’t have noticed how badly this house was taken care of. The outside of it was overrun by an ivy which covered two windows and raided their front entrance. The shabby wooden fence Jongho was referring to wasn’t really even a fence. It was a mixture of wooden planks and a wire fence, but with holes riddled within its walls.

It definitely lived up to what Jongho proclaimed it to be. A neglected, historical brick home.

Seonghwa held his breath as he watched Jongho’s silhouette squeeze underneath the ripped up metal fence, waving briefly back at his ride before disappearing behind the home.

Once he was gone for several minutes, he texted him asking if he was alright, and as soon as he replied with a yes, Seonghwa sped away, feeling his anxiety piling up more and more by the second.

How was he going to do this? He could barely afford his own home...

He guessed he’d figure it out when it got to that point, just as he had done with everything else. 

What was the worst that could happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, if it’s not too much to ask, could you guys comment down below how you guys think this story is going?
> 
> I like constructive criticism and actually really enjoy getting it, because it helps me improve as a writer. 
> 
> If you don’t have any, just let me know if you’re enjoying where it’s going or not. Okay?
> 
> Thank you so much!
> 
> Next chapter will be out soon.
> 
> Love you!
> 
> -k
> 
> (p.s i will go back and edit if i find typos. since i usually write around 1-2 am, i’ll have to read it again when i have the time)


	10. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STREAM BLIND FOR LOVE!
> 
> ATEEZ’S MV COMES OUT TOMORROW
> 
> STRAY KIDS’ HAVE A COMEBACK THIS WEEK
> 
> i’m officially deceased.

> Seonghwa couldn’t sleep that night.

How could he? He was worried about a kid who was trying to survive. The text he sent was the only one of the night, and secretly he was wishing Jongho would update him at least one more time.

Also, his sleeping conditions weren’t… ideal. There he was, sharing a bed with Yunho’s massive dog beside him, dreaming away about what he supposed was a squirrel. Hayan had grown a lot since Seonghwa last saw him; he was just a puppy after all. And in all of his husky glory, he squirmed on the bed like a worm, making it even harder for him to sleep.

He managed to doze off for about an hour, but otherwise he was completely and utterly sleep deprived. It was a normal occurrence since he arrived at Yunho’s place, so he couldn’t do much about it. Until he was back in his own bed, which should be soon, he wouldn’t get the healthy amount of rest needed.

He dragged himself to the bathroom to get himself ready, ignoring the tail smacking the back of his legs as he brushed his teeth and washed his hair in the sink. It was too much of a bother to take a shower, especially since he was running fairly late as it was.

Seonghwa slipped on one of his nice collared shirts, buttoning up the sleeves as he stumbled into the hall, hearing Hayan’s nails click on the floor behind him. The white husky followed with his tongue lolling out, ready to start the day with a belly rub.

“Are you feeling okay today? You look like you didn’t sleep at all.”

Seonghwa bit his lip, exhaling loudly as he buckled up his belt. “It’s because I didn’t. But that’s fine, I’ve dealt with worse.” He said, laughing dryly. “Hayan moves a lot in his sleep.”

“Yeah, I know.” Yunho said, scratching his neck nervously as Hayan bounded towards him, whining. “He’s a bit much. I can take him to the studio today and keep him in the offices; that should wear him out.”

“Eh, do what you please. It’s fine. Anyway, I’m out. Text me if you need anything, man.” Seonghwa began to rush out the door, but then he stopped himself. “Can you feed Anko? I usually do, but I can’t be late.”

Yunho threw his hands up. “I guess. Anything else you want me to do, your highness?”

“Hey!” Seonghwa frowned, chuckling afterward. “You’re the one who wanted me to stay with you. I haven’t asked you to do anything besides this.”

“I know, I know.” Yunho said, smiling wide. “I was just teasing. Go on, I’ll take care of her.”

Without another word, Seonghwa jogged to his car, hopping in and racing off.

He didn’t want to be late.

~~~~

“Seonghwa!”

Seonghwa was only peeking into the room, and instead of thinking that his friend was asleep, he screeched his name.

“Wooyoung! Quiet down!” Seonghwa hissed, grinning at the sight of him. Though his arms were still partially wrapped up, he was being discharged today. His brother would have to stay another day or two, but either way, today was a happy day.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I haven’t seen you in like three days. I get bored.” Wooyoung apologized, holding his arms out. His grabby hands gripped the air as he called Seonghwa over to his bedside for a hug. 

Seonghwa reluctantly walked over, letting Wooyoung’s itchy, bandaged arms slither around him. He squealed with delight, holding him close. “Have you been able to see your brother?”

Wooyoung nodded, a pout them forming on his face. “He’s lonely down in the children’s ward. I insisted to the nurses that he should be here with me, but they wouldn’t allow it.”

Seonghwa hummed. “Well, you’re out today, so it’ll be fine.”

Wooyoung’s expression morphed from somewhat relieved to pained. “That’s right...” He said, his grip loosening around his friend’s sides. “What am I gonna do? The trial’s soon, isn’t it? I’ll have to face him, right?”

The tattoo artist sighed. “It’s best if you don’t think about that at this very moment.” He told him, grabbing Wooyoung’s hand and squeezing slightly. “I know it’ll be hard, but you need to focus on the now. You’re being released today. What do you want to do?”

Wooyoung bit his lip. “Wanna go see a movie? Go eat somewhere?”

“Sure. I have no appointments until later on in the day, so I’m all for it.” Seonghwa said, glancing at Wooyoung.

He looked like he was tired. Not only was he failing to hide the bags under his partially swollen eyes, but his movements were slow and drawn out, almost like everything hurt. It could be that he’s exhausted from the healing process, but it was something Seonghwa noticed throughout the day once he was discharged.

They ended up viewing a movie that had bad ratings, mainly because Wooyoung loved to laugh at them. Usually if he was upset, a crappy movie would just cheer him up. Seonghwa would watch silently, while the hyena next to him slapped and punched him every time a hilarious part of the movie came up.

Though he could sense the looks he was getting behind him, he didn’t care. Seeing Wooyoung’s smile and hearing his high pitched laugh made Seonghwa feel complete. Feeling his presence next to him as he threw more buttered popcorn in his mouth... it was beyond comforting.

The only time he felt this sensation before was with Taewon, but that was a fairly long time ago. He had forgotten how it felt... love.

This was different in a way, though. It wasn’t in any way romantic... it was purely platonic. It was more of a brotherly love that he had created with Wooyoung. He never thought that would happen.

He always surprised himself.

After the movie, Wooyoung howled as they drove to a hibachi restaurant nearby, recalling all of the atrocious scenes in the movie that deserved more than what screen time it had received. 

He gifted Wooyoung one of the most expensive dishes on the menu (it was something with seafood, but he couldn’t remember the name), while Seonghwa settled for some beef udon.

While Seonghwa ate his noodles, Wooyoung talked until his food grew cold, speaking about funny things that happened with the nurses and how nice the doctor was.

Of course, he knew that with these abuse cases, they tended to be more careful and gentle about things. The doctor was extremely empathetic, and most nurses were kinder to these kind of patients.

Seonghwa was forever grateful to them regardless, because despite how strong he acted throughout the years he dealt with his father, he was sensitive.

Eventually, Wooyoung finished his meal, and they left. It was around 15:00 (3pm), and Seonghwa wanted to settle him down at Yunho’s before heading back to meet with his appointment.

Everything was going as planned until Mingi suddenly called Seonghwa.

“Hey. We have a walk in who is requesting you for a planning session. Can you come in yet?”

Seonghwa frowned. “No, not yet. I’m taking Wooyoung to Yunho’s. Can’t you just handle him?”

“I can’t. He specifically wants you and won’t accept the fact that you’re not here right now and that he can come by later.” Mingi muttered, his voice quiet. He was guessing he’d argued with the man for a while, because he sounded very annoyed.

Seonghwa groaned. “I’ll be there in about twenty minutes. Can you tell him that?”

“Yeah sure. But you better hurry, he’s an asshole and I don’t want him here.” Mingi growled before hanging up.

Weird. Mingi’s tolerance for assholes was usually high, considering he does business with one of the worst headasses of all time.

“What was that for?”

“Ah, I just have a client waiting at the parlor for me. I told Mingi that I’m dropping you off first before heading there.” Seonghwa informed him. “He’s a walk in, so he can wait.”

“Oh.” Wooyoung tapped his hands on his lap to the rhythm of the song playing, humming along with it. “How’s work going?”

Seonghwa raised an eyebrow. “Fine. Why?”

“Hmm. No reason. I was just curious.” Wooyoung said, his eyes focused on the road. “Any bad cases come in?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Y’know... people in need of help? The ones you always tell me about.”

Did he...?

“Nah. I haven’t been getting that many appointments, so nothing like that has happened since you’ve been in the hospital.” Seonghwa lied. “They’re not as common as you think.”

“Okay then.”

“Why?”

“Why what? I said I was just curious.”

“I know, but why did that just come to mind? Like were you thinking about it, or...?”

Wooyoung shook his head, laughing softly. “No, no. It wasn’t that. I just... had a dream. About the parlor.”

“How long ago?”

“I don’t remember; maybe two days ago?” He wiped the sleepiness out of his eyes. “Anyway, it was kind of odd. It was like... not a cohesive thing, it was just bits and pieces. Nothing really made sense to me but somehow I remember it.

“It showed me a guy standing behind your parlor. I couldn’t make out a face or really many features about the person other than it was a guy. He was walking alone on the tracks, skipping from gauge to gauge, stopping every two or so to just... watch the backdoor of your parlor.

“It was just really weird. Kind of creepy if you ask me, but... That’s why I asked you about it. The dream kind of made me uncomfortable.”

Okay. That was definitely strange.

But what did it mean, exactly? Seonghwa had no clue.

“Oh. Well, yeah, that’s a little weird.”

“Has anyone been on the tracks recently?”

Seonghwa shrugged. “I haven’t noticed anything unusual, so the answer’s no.” He lied again.

He remembered perfectly that there was a silhouette staring at him from the tracks. He remembered it as clear as day.

“Okay!”

Wooyoung continued down the path of making fun of films while Seonghwa sped to Yunho’s, a feeling of uneasiness wafting over him. 

What was that supposed to mean? Was this certain silhouette important?

As far as he knew, it could be another homeless man who lost his way. That’s happened more times than he could count.

Seonghwa’s mind went blurry by the time he reached Yunho’s, himself moving on auto-pilot as he tried to think things over. 

Something about it made him feel so antsy. He needed to know if that man was still there.

Once he came back to reality, he had already pulled up at his shop, rushing in the back door like he was about to be jumped in a sketchy part of town.

Seonghwa grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, shutting it loudly before slipping into his tattoo room.

He drank about half of the bottle in one go, mainly to see if he could wash away this sense of uneasiness. However he had no luck.

It continued to rage on, even when his customer let himself inside, not bothering to even knock.

“So you’re Mars?”

Seonghwa eyed the fellow, his obnoxious red hair catching his attention almost immediately. “Yeah, I am.”

“Ah. I have to admit, you were the last person I was expecting to be running a joint like this.”

“Why? Is it because of my attire?”

“Well, partially, but you seem too... innocent.”

Seonghwa literally snorted. “Please.”

The red haired guy sprouted a sly smile, his piercings shimmering in the sunlight pouring into his room. For some reason, he had a very punchable face.

“What? I’m only being honest with you.” He said, laughing dryly.

“What do you want from me?”

He smirked. “Information. If you have any for me.” He peeled his wallet out of his pocket, revealing a golden badge. 

Are you fucking kidding me?

Seonghwa scoffed. “Excuse me? Information about what?” Cops were dirty in these parts, and Seonghwa was always cautious with them. He knew he had to follow the laws of this country, but he didn’t trust them. They’ll do anything for money, and the gangs around here had enough to take them over.

“You really think a person like me came to this place for a simple tattoo?”

Seonghwa was slightly taken aback. “Well, yeah. I didn’t rush in here thinking that a miniscule man like you would be questioning me about things I probably know nothing about. If I would’ve known I wouldn’t have given you the light of day.”

The man’s smile faded, and was replaced with a cold, furious glare. He stifled a laugh. “You’re certainly very nice to your customers.”

“You’re not a customer of mine. What kind of information do you want from an innocent man like me, anyway?”

He paused for a moment. “I’m looking for someone. Someone important to someone very important to me.”

Seonghwa crossed his arms. “You sure are giving me a lot to work with.”

“There was a robbery not far from here. It was at the convenience store about two blocks from here. Did you hear about it?”

“Well, sure I did.” Seonghwa’s uncomfortable feeling doubled in size. He didn’t like this man, and he sure as hell didn’t like wherever he was going with this.

“We’re still looking for the guy. A witness had seen him running in this direction after the crime. Did you happen to see anything?”

Jongho. He was speaking to him about the fucking kid. 

Was this kid into some trouble with gangs? 

He couldn’t be. There was no way.

“When did it happen?”

“Around 22:00. Yesterday.”

“I was heading home. We close up shop at 21:30 on weekdays.” Seonghwa lied.

The man narrowed his eyes, staring into Seonghwa’s soul. Seonghwa didn’t falter; instead, he glared at him in return. “I find that hard to believe.” 

“I can’t understand why you’d think that.” Seonghwa growled.

“You can’t always trust people in these parts, you know?”

“Are you insinuating that you can’t trust me?”

“Perhaps.” His strawberry hair almost looked like flames on the man’s head.

Seonghwa blinked. “Is there anything  else you’d like to speak to me about? Perhaps something like a tattoo?”

The man wet his lips, smiling devilishly. His stomach was churning with anxiety. “Actually, I have been planning on getting a tattoo for a while. Can I have an appointment?”

Un-fucking-believable. 

Seonghwa bit his cheek to prevent himself from saying anything stupid as he pulled out his calendar. “Here. Schedule it yourself.”

He chuckled. “You’re a very pleasant person, you know that?”

“It’s not every day that I get accused of being an untrustworthy piece of shit because I happen to run a parlor here.” Seonghwa said bitterly.

“Ah ah ah, no one is accusing you of anything.”

“Says the cop who came in asking for information. You probably think that every person who runs a business in these parts is a front for gangs, right?”

The cop’s nostrils flared as he turned his attention back to Seonghwa. “Nine times out of ten, that is the case. Don’t argue with me.”

“Freedom of speech is a thing, you know.”

The man gritted his teeth as he scribbled something down angrily on Seonghwa’s calendar, handing it back to him.

“I’ll be back here tomorrow morning. Is that alright with you?” He said with a pretty smile.

Seonghwa wanted to punch him. So fucking badly. 

Wait, did he just call him pretty? What the fuck?

Seonghwa frowned. “It’s alright with me, Officer...”

“Kim. Officer Kim Hongjoong.”

“See you then, asshole.”

He could see Hongjoong’s hair bristling with rage, but he managed to storm out of the room before he acted upon his anger. He slammed the door behind him, all of the walls in his room trembling with the force.

Seonghwa, although he was pissed, kept his cool as he finally started to process everything that just happened.

He never liked cops. He’ll advise people to abide by the laws, but cops were never good to him growing up. He’d never forgive them.

This cop was an absolute douche bag. Mingi wasn’t wrong about him.

But dear god, why couldn’t anyone explain why cops, especially the most rude and shitty ones... why were they so attractive?

Seonghwa wanted to somersault off a cliff.

This was not the time to think about guys. This was a time to figure out what the hell he was going to do for an hour appointment with that fucker.

Jesus... this was going to be the hardest, most frustrating appointment of his entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i said slow updates but i’ve been doing well-
> 
> saying that tho updates will be slower now, i’m getting pretty busy.
> 
> thank you for reading! hope this is a good chapter.


	11. Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY THIS IS LIKE—  
This took me forever to write because my motivation went out the window.  
Plus I’ve been dealing with health issues and college and my new job...  
I’m sorry.  
The chapters might always come out this late now, since I’ll be pretty busy.  
Sorry!  
I hope you enjoy though.

Great. Just great.

Eight hours after the asshole cop left, Seonghwa was still pissed at his words.

_You can’t always trust people in these parts, you know?_

If that stupid prick knew anything about his parlor, he wouldn’t dare question whether he was trustworthy or not.

Sure, he helped a lot of people whenever he could, but he would never affiliate himself with the gangs. For one, he didn’t want to endanger Mingi, who was still someone who was targeted by some of the primary ones in the county.

Second, as far as he was concerned, his judgement wasn’t that flawed. He was able to seed out the good from the bad, and so far nothing has happened to bring any concern for anyone in the law.

Was he accusing Park Seonghwa, a humble tattoo artist and charity worker, of being a front man for the infamous criminal group?

That alone was more insulting than telling him he looked innocent.

Mars eyed Jongho as they shopped, observing him from afar as he grabbed non-perishable food from the tidy shelves.

He grit his teeth. Who the hell does he think he is? Some hot shot cop that’s trying his very best to bring everyone down?

That’s not going to happen. He was not going to let this strawberry bitch take down what he worked hard to build.

Someone gently tapped on his shoulder, causing him to jump ever so slightly.

Wide eyed, he was greeted by Jongho, who was trying to grab his attention. “Mars? Are you okay?”

Seonghwa blinked a few times, rubbing his frustration out from his eyes. “Yeah. What’s up?”

“I was wondering if I could grab this.” Jongho said, holding a package of chips ahoy cookies (the original ones; if he had snagged the chewy ones off the shelf Seonghwa would disown him. He wasn’t even his child). “It’s for the younger ones, they’ve been wanting something sweet.”

Seonghwa gave Jongho a small grin. “Go ahead.” When the kid spoke about his family, his expression softened from his almost always unimpressed look. His eyes would begin to hide behind his cheeks as he smiled, imagining himself in situations where his brothers and sisters would finally get exactly what they wanted to eat.

It was heartwarming. He didn’t regret his decision to help him anymore; he was a genuinely lovely boy. Very family oriented, and he seemed to study fairly often.

Labels often create such a bad image for people. Putting a troublemaker sticker on Jongho made everyone biased against him, when he’s really a great person. He didn’t want to break the law. Things just happened, and he landed where he did.

Jongho carried the basket through every aisle, clutching it close to his chest, items spilling out the top of it. Most of it was ramen and instant food; something easy for kids that didn’t have much to work with. Underneath all of the crinkly plastic were cans of fruit and other things, something that Seonghwa suggested he get.

He didn’t want to pressure the boy into focusing on the budget he set for the trip, but he also wanted to make sure he remembered that Seonghwa wasn’t one who kept a lot of his salary. He was running on just enough to pay rent and buy food for himself and Anko.

At the end of the shopping spree, Jongho had gathered up several different jumbo packs of ramen, cup noodles, two large cans; one of peaches and the other with tropical fruit mix, a six pack of coca cola, one chips ahoy tray, and some beef jerky.

It didn’t cost as much as he expected, and he sensed that Jongho was being especially wary of pricing for his sake.

He thanked him once they stepped out of the shop.

“Thanks? For what?” Jongho asked, a look of confusion spreading on his face.

“For being gentle with my wallet. I feel like anyone would use the fact that someone else is buying you your groceries as a way to taste everything in the store.” Seonghwa said, snorting softly. “I didn’t think about it before I told you I’d do it, so... I appreciate it.”

The kid shook his head. Seonghwa tilted his head with curiosity, only for Jongho to chuckle. “You know, you really don’t think anything through. It’s unbelievable you’ve made it this far.”

Mars frowned, pushing the kid playfully. “Don’t tease me or else I return the food.”

“I’d like to see you try, Mars.”

Seonghwa raised his eyebrow, about to protest, but he just laughed it off. The kid had a certain spunk to him which he found very amusing.

They talked for a bit while Seonghwa was at work, planning their outing to the store. He was stuck at school for another hour or two due to detention (he said he got in a verbal fight with another guy for bullying a disabled kid), but he wanted to make sure he could get a ride to the shop and back home.

Seonghwa found himself in front of his school later on, waiting patiently for his friend to hop in so they could go browse the grocery store.

They crawled into the tattoo artist’s silver camry, throwing the bags into the back seats before driving off into the night.

After he dropped off Jongho at his house, he headed to Yunho’s. While he was shopping with Jongho, Yunho swung by the parlor and picked up Mingi so the five of them could hang out. Yeosang was supposed to come by as well, and all of them were going to play video games and ultimately have a good time.

He was looking forward to it, but the thoughts of the police officer wouldn’t leave his mind. That strawberry man must have some big ass pants to come into a parlor with only shit to say.

Some of his clients were ex-felons, so the fact that he waltzed in unannounced and was so rude... it was unheard of.

Something about it made him feel on edge. There wasn’t anything right about him. First of all, he was young, and he looked around his age. There was no way in hell he was a sheriff. No officer that young could be promoted up to sheriff that quickly. If anything, he was fresh from the police academy.

There was a likely chance that he couldn’t trust that man either. Sure, Seonghwa wasn’t very trustworthy, but the man sure as hell wasn’t either. As far as he’s concerned, he was faking being a cop.

That badge he flashed wasn’t his. His final conclusion: don’t trust the cute one. He could just be getting paid to harass his shop for answers.

Seonghwa was dug out of his deep thoughts by the violent vibrating sound of his phone in the cupholder. He jolted upward, his nails digging into the leather of the wheel, relieved that he was at a red light.

Yunho. “Hey, Hwa. Are you coming?”

“Yeah. I just dropped the kid off at his house, so I should be there soon.”

“Oh, alright. Yeosang just got here, and I’m not sure if you can hear it, but-“

The two of them were interrupted by the sound of Wooyoung screeching, screaming at the top of his lungs while Mingi and Yeosang tumbled about, one of them banging one of their various body parts on the neighboring wall.

“It’s a shit show, isn’t it?”

Yunho snorted. “That’s a bit of an understatement. They’ve been at it for ten minutes now. I’m surprised Wooyoung hasn’t lost his voice yet from laughing and yelling so loud.”

Seonghwa sighed. “They’re morons. They tend to do that. Just remind them that I’m coming and they should calm down a bit. I should be there in about 10 minutes or so.”

He could hear Yunho’s happiness grow through the phone. “Thank god. I’ll see you then!”

“Sure. Bye.”

He was almost to Yunho’s when he noticed his phone was close to dying, and that he hadn’t grabbed his charger on his way out to meet Jongho.

Shit. He was gonna have to turn back, since he didn’t have another cable and plug at his place. His habit he has was to keep his phone fully charged for as long as he could, and that he would only charge it with his cables.

He knew it was weird but he could care less. Being a little bit skeptical of technology never hurt anyone.

He cursed under his breath and quickly made a reckless u-turn, not bothering to give a small wave of apologies to the man he startled as he sped towards his car in the other lane.

Seonghwa never liked being late to anything, and he despised making people wait for him. These two things were the driving force for him to speed towards his closed shop, hoping to go there, grab his cord, and make it to Yunho’s in about five minutes.

Punctuality was something Seonghwa wanted to live by, and he understood some things could get in the way of someone arriving on time, but he tries to avoid having those moments anyway.

He guessed life wasn’t on his side this time around.

Mars managed to pull up to his shop at a record time of two minutes. Luck was on his side and he was granted the wish of all green lights on his way there.

He climbed out of his car, slamming the door shut as he muttered nonsense to himself, digging his keys out of his pocket.

Suddenly, the atmosphere around Seonghwa changed. It was almost immediate, and he felt a pair of eyes piercing into his back.

He slowly peered over his shoulder.

The silhouette of the boy was sat on the curb on the other side of the parking lot, staring at him. His knees were close to his chest as he rested his elbows upon his thigh, holding his head in his hands as he observed from afar.

Seonghwa glanced at the kid for a moment, faltering slightly as the sight of both of their breaths became apparent in the chilly night.

This kid. This person was in Wooyoung’s dream.

Didn’t that have to mean something? 

Seonghwa didn’t believe in a god, or anything supernatural, but that was some weird voodoo shit. Why would he just become apparent in someone’s dream like that if there was no importance to him?

He couldn’t just be a side character, could he?

Fuck, he didn’t have time for this.

His attention wavered for a few more moments before he turned away, shoving his key into the lock and making his way inside.

Once inside, he shut the door behind him, leaning back upon it, himself stumbling for a second as he tried to wrap his mind around what he just had seen.

What should he do? Fuck, he couldn’t just do nothing. It was a kid. At least, that’s what he thought. 

It was a living, breathing kid. It wasn’t his mind playing tricks on him.

He could just let it go, and the person could just disappear from his mind again.

But then again... would he cease to exist in Seonghwa’s memories, despite his strange encounters?

Seonghwa didn’t wait for himself to answer that question as he rushed through into his office, snatching his cable and plug from out of the outlet, wrapping it around his right hand diligently into a perfect circle, before zip tying it back into it’s factory packaging.

Hey, there was nothing wrong with just a little amount of OCD, was there? He just liked his things set in a certain way.

He slid the plastic bag into his pocket, and set the boxy plug back into it’s original spot in the iPhone box before successfully carrying what he needed out of the shop, locking the door a few times before sitting back into his driver’s seat.

Unfortunately, the boy had left. There wasn’t a single trace of him being there in the first place, as the streetlight gazed down onto his previous position with a ferocious yellow glow.

He bit his lip, slipping back into his seat, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes. What should he do?

Maybe...

He tossed his things into the passenger’s seat, and rummaged in his glove compartment for his business cards. He began his business that way, but now since everything was online and he had a pretty prevalent social media presence, he rarely needed them anymore.

He shimmied out of his car, walking across the pavement to the curb where the shadow once was, digging a small hole into the dead grass before sliding his card into it.

Maybe, just maybe... this would help.

If he couldn’t offer himself physically to help this person, whatever they might be going through or what their intentions are... if they needed someone, they could contact him.

He figured it was better than nothing.

With a snap of the finger, Seonghwa found himself back on the road, his eyes glossy as he drove 5 over the speed limit, hurtling towards Yunho’s neighborhood.

All the time he was driving, he was lost in thought.

Did he do the right thing?

He wasn’t available to help. He... He wanted to, but he wasn’t about to ruin his plans with some of the most important people in his life.

His stomach churned.

He gripped at his shirt, balling his hand into a fist as he tugged at his shirt.

Damn. Damn, damn, damn.

He was praying to whatever lurked in the clouds that he did the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I don’t normally acknowledge things like these because I deal with it in my own way (by not really talking about it) but—  
Rest in peace Sulli.  
I didn’t really stan f(x), but I follow Amber a lot since they disbanded.
> 
> Anyway, if anyone ever needs any help, please talk to someone. Talk to a friend, a family member, a counselor... anyone. 
> 
> You’re not alone in this.


	12. Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kay so I haven’t been writing anything because I’ve been busy.
> 
> This is kind of a short, fun chapter to celebrate their anniversary!! I didn’t plan on releasing it today but it somehow worked out that way :)
> 
> Enjoy!

“Daddy!”

Seonghwa blinked at the sudden rowdiness that greeted him at Yunho’s door, unsure of what to think of a clearly hammered Wooyoung.

“Don’t call me that,” Seonghwa said, gritting his teeth.

“But you’re like our parent. Why can’t you be called Daddy?” Wooyoung was not so sneaky as his hands slithered from around Seonghwa’s shoulder down to his lower back. Seonghwa peeled the younger’s palm from his back, frowning.

“Because I can’t think of that word the same since all of these kinks have come to light.” He said truthfully, causing Wooyoung to start his signature hyena type laughter.

The oldest winced, covering his ears as Wooyoung’s giggle turned into a glass breaking frequency.

Ignoring the fact that his drunk friend was blocking the hallway into Yunho’s small apartment, he pushed past him gently, making his way into the gathering place.

Yunho’s living room was already trashed beyond recognition. Yunho sat on his loveseat, his elbows resting on his thighs with his palms teepeed together, watching the monsters unleash their fury with each other over a game of super smash bros ultimate.

Seonghwa snorted, prying the clingy baker off his bicep as he strode towards him. “I see.”

“I really don’t know what I was expecting,” Yunho stated, his eyes spaced out facing the screen. “I just wanted to have a nice night with my pals. I didn’t think I’d be witnessing a murder.”

As if on cue, both of them jumped at the sound of a head slamming into the thin drywall, followed by a small groan and laughter.

“That hurt, Mingi!” Yeosang said, pouting as he rubbed his head.

Mingi was too busy losing his shit to reply, tears sprouting from his crescent eyes.

“How long have they been at it now?”

Yunho flicked his attention to Seonghwa, who was joining him on the couch. “Uh, about half an hour. I really don’t know how much energy these two have.”

“It’s insane, isn’t it?”

“It’s literally fucking inhuman. They have more energy than me on my good days.” He muttered, massaging his temples. “I just wanted to drink the night away, not deal with cleaning up this shit all night.”

Mars shook his head. “Don’t worry, I have you covered.”

“What, are you gonna cl-“

The tattoo artist cleared his throat loudly. “SONG MINGI AND KANG YEOSANG! YOU BETTER PICK UP ALL OF YOUR SHIT RIGHT NOW OR I WILL NOT HESITATE TO HANDCUFF YOU TWO TOGETHER AGAIN.” He yelled.

Mingi’s laughter ceased almost immediately. “S-Seonghwa?!”

“Shit. Mingi! I got the broom! I sweep, you hold the dustpan!” Yeosang said, getting ahold of his normally quiet self and scrambling to find the cleaning equipment he needed.

Seonghwa glanced at Yunho, wiggling his eyebrows. 

Yunho’s jaw was hanging on it’s hinges, in shock of what just took place. “What the hell did you just do?”

“It’s called being loud. You should try it sometime.”

“No, I am loud. I mean, what have you done to them that causes them to scramble around like cats slipping on hardwood to do what you say?”

Seonghwa stifled a laugh. “Let’s just say I’m making them pay for something they did to me.”

For a moment, Seonghwa’s anger returned to him as he thought about the night that Yeosang and Mingi decided to prank him.

They slipped blue cheese dressing into his shampoo bottle one night, since he let them stay at his place.

After strangling them for a bit, Seonghwa said that if they ever played a prank on him again, he’d make them pay.

They pranked him the next day, thinking he was bluffing.

Basically, he was using the terror they were feeling about Seonghwa’s payment to his advantage. They were horrified, and didn’t want to know what it was and they were afraid to disobey him when things got heated.

He had servants for as long as he wanted. And it came in handy sometimes.

Viewing the show that Mingi and Yeosang were putting on as they rushed about the apartment, tossing things in the trash frantically was very entertaining. Wooyoung decided to join in, but he wasn’t planning on helping. Instead, he hopped on Mingi’s back while he was holding the dustpan steady for Yeosang.

“Wooyoung!”

“Carry meeeee!”

“No, we’re busy!!”

“But Minki-“

“Did he just call you Minki?”

“Wooyoun-“

“MINKIIIIIIIII!”

“I’m gonna fall!”

“Mingi, you have a dustpan full of crumbs, don’t you dare fall.”

Yunho and Seonghwa watched from the couch, satisfied seeing them struggle.

Lucky for them, they did end up finishing up despite clingy Wooyoung preventing them from doing certain things.

In no time, they were settling down arounda board game box, getting ready to play. Wooyoung had already fallen asleep on Seonghwa’s shoulder, so he did the honors and stayed in his spot upon the loveseat, playing the game from afar.

“Fuck, I forgot I hated this game.” Yunho grumbled as he drew four cards from the deck, exhaling angrily as he looked at their faces. “Worthless! Everything is worthless.”

Seonghwa browsed through his selection, biting his lip before tossing a card onto the floor like a frisbee, hoping one of them would catch it. “I don’t have any better cards than you probably, Yunho.”

“I doubt that.”

Yeosang changed the color from red to green, and Mingi giggled as he placed three of his five cards down; three fours. 

Now the color shifted to blue, and Yunho growled again, throwing down a blue seven and handing the play to Seonghwa.

“Yeosang, do you have anything?”

He thumbed through his cards and shrugged. “The most I have is a draw two, but it isn’t in this color.”

Mars frowned. Then he had an idea. “Do you have a reverse?”

He nodded.

Seonghwa told him to play it as he put down a one to match the seven.

Yeosang slapped down the reverse, and now Mars was back in play.

He pulled his cards away from his chest, fanning them outward facing his thigh. Narrowing his eyes, he glared at Yunho, trying to figure out what he may have.

Of course, Yunho was lying about having all worthless cards. He had drawn enough cards to be around the twenty mark, and it would be a real tragedy if he really didn’t have any action cards. 

His frown didapoeared as he strategically put down his only draw, a blue draw two.

“Yunho, I know you can stack one. You have to be able to.”

Yunho was shooting daggers at Seonghwa, but after a few moments of him assuming he thought about this all wrong, he placed down a yellow draw two.

Mingi screeched, as the rest cheered at their teamwork. Mingi wallowed in his own self pity as he drew his fucking cards back and lost miserably to a very talented tattoo artist.

Overall, they went from UNO to Clue to some video games on Yunho’s switch. Drinks were slipped in between everything, and every enjoyable activity increased in excited emotions within all of them.

It was a good night. Though Seonghwa’s recollection still remains slightly fuzzy, he declared it the night of UNO.


	13. Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STREAM BLUE FLAME!!
> 
> I’m sorry this is soooo late I lost my motivation to write for a while.
> 
> I promised myself I would get this posted before the 22nd and I did. I’m proud.

“He’s here.”

Seonghwa’s head raised from his desk, taking his eyes away from his new sketch and landing them on a disgruntled Mingi.

Mars frowned slightly, but tossed his pen aside, flipping his sketchbook back to the cover and setting it aside. He got up slowly, careful to not trigger his sore ankle to flare up again.

While leaving Yunho’s, he rolled it while scaling down the staircase, and fell down the last two steps. He was a little battered, but nothing he couldn’t handle.

He winced, but bit his lip as he made his way to his office door, resting his hand on the metal doorframe as he eyed the strawberry in the lobby. “What a surprise. You came.”

Hongjoong glanced up from his phone, peering over his shoulder to meet Seonghwa’s cold glare. “Of course! I wouldn’t let you down.”

Oh for fucks sake, let this be over already.

Hongjoong smiled despite Seonghwa’s unimpressed expression, peeling himself off of the chair and walking towards the tattoo artist with a skip in his step.

Once he retreated behind Seonghwa, Seonghwa narrowed his eyes at Mingi, sighing deeply before shrinking back into his room himself, shutting the door behind him.

“So! How are you on this fine da-“

“What kind of tattoo are you looking for?”

Hongjoong looked suddenly appalled. “You won’t even let me finish my question!”

“Yeah, I know. You didn’t come here to initiate small talk. You came for a tattoo, and that’s what I get paid to do. What do you want?”

Hongjoong raised an eyebrow. “Ah! You’re a straight to the chase kind of guy. I like that. Most other parlors I have the pleasure to go into, they like to chat.”

“Well I don’t like talking with cops, so pick your poison and we’ll go from there.” Seonghwa said, gripping his binder of already finished designs and throwing it onto the man’s lap.

The strawberry frowned slightly, licking his lips before giving him a grim smirk. Then, he opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, a small chuckle erupted from him along with a glare. “Right. I’m in for whatever pleases you, so choose one for me.”

Seonghwa nearly choked on his water he was sipping. “What?!”

“I said you pick your poison and draw it on me. I’m an indecisive fella who needs help deciding, so decide for me.”

He blinked. “You’re not joking.”

“Of course not. I’m a dirty cop, I can’t joke around here.” He joked, crossing his arms with his cursed teeth showing through his curled lips.

Seonghwa hesitated, unsure of what to respond with. This man, the man who he despised was giving him full freedom on what kind of tattoo he was going to get.

What the fuck was he thinking?

If he were at any other tattoo parlor, he would’ve got a permanent doodle on his arm. Whether it be a dick or just something super stupid looking... it wouldn’t be pretty.

But considering how bad it felt to have something on your skin that you despised... he refused to go against his completed designs.

“Uh... where were you thinking you wanted it?” Mars asked quietly, flipping through his own binder to find something that might suit his tiny cop customer.

“I’m open to anything. Arm, leg, bicep, chest. It’s your call.”

He was definitely not fucking kidding.

Seonghwa was truly scared of this dimwit. What the hell was wrong with him?

“Considering that you hate me, why don’t you go for the flashiest/ most difficult tattoo you have and go from there?” Hongjoong suggested with a grin.

Seonghwa stared at his gorgeous smile for perhaps too long, because he and the strawberry locked glances for a solid five seconds before turning away.

He cleared his throat. “Are you only tatted on your arms?”

Hongjoong bit his lip, shaking his head. “Nah. I got this little one on my ankle here, and a cute few on my fingers.” He extended his left middle finger towards the tattoo artist, exposing his star tattoo inked on the right side of it.

It wasn’t anything great, but Seonghwa just assumed it was a way of flipping him off discreetly.

“Okay. So, how about something completely different?”

Hongjoong raised his eyebrow, intrigued.

“How about a tattoo behind your ear?”

His eyes grew wide. “Excuse me?”

“What? You said you were open to anything.”

“Not behind the ear! My ears are extremely sensitive and I don’t need a needle touching anything around there.” Hongjoong said loudly, cupping his hands over his heavily pierced ears.

Yeah. Right. They’re very sensitive.

Seonghwa glared at him, before turning his attention back to his binded. “Pussy.” He muttered under his breath.

“What’d you say?”

“Pussy. You’re a pussy.”

Hongjoong laughed dryly. “As if you’d ever do something as outrageous as that.”

Seonghwa curled his hair around his ear, showing off a practice tattoo a friend had done on him when he was younger. It was a meaningless sketch, but it was somewhat cool looking so Seonghwa never really did anything about it. It was an artist’s signature; he wasn’t going to cover it up.

“You were saying?”

Hongjoong turned a slight shade of pink. “Do something on my arm or something closer to that. Let’s not get too drastic with the placement of them, okay?”

“Alright Lieutenant strawberry. Whatever you say.” Mars said, ignoring how flustered his client got.

“Lieutenant strawberry?”

“Strawberry shortcake is what I should call you but I’m supposed to be nice to the law.” Seonghwa muttered as he mindlesslysearched through his array of tattoos until he decided on one.

Hongjoong pursed his lips, but stayed quiet as Seonghwa’s face brightened at the sight of one of his favorite sketches he had done.

He carefully takes it out of the pocket its stuck in, and pinched it between his pointer and middle finger as he closed the binder. “Take a look.”

It was a simple design; a quote reading “Just keep it up.” It wasn’t a dragon or a cool ass skull, but it meant a lot to him. Not to mention it was done in an intriguing font.

“‘Just keep it up’? What’s that mean?”

Seonghwa leaned back in his chair, sighing. “It’s just a motivational kind of thing. You always see your collarbone when you look in the mirror in the morning, and it can help you keep going through whatever rough patch you’re stuck in.” He said, acting like he was brushing off how much it helped him through everything.

“Okay, but what does this mean if someone sees it during sex? Will it never end?”

Seonghwa choked. “Uh, well, it’s not related to that. It’s a meaningful thing to me, so I’d rather think of it in a positive light rather than something horrible like that.”

“So it wouldn’t be motivation just for me, it’ll be motivation for my partners as well.” Hongjoong said aloud, pressing his pointer finger to the tip of his chin. After a few short moments, he clicked his tongue. “I like it. Do it.”

Mars licked his lips, pushing his chair back to his equipment cart and tugging it over towards his customer. “Alright then. Let’s get started.”

~~

One hour later, Mars was up to his ears with thoughts on how to shut this Kim guy up. Punch him? No, he’s getting a tattoo. Tape his mouth shut? Too much like a hostage situation. Those were the two options that had stayed with him throughout all of the time he was inking this man’s skin.

It wasn’t that he was talking too much, but it almost seemed like the guy was flirting with him? One minute, this guy was shredding Seonghwa’s asshole apart with questions about Jongho, and the next he’s asking what’s his type.

“I’m just wondering, because with your demeanor, you seem like you’d want a soft short girl. Cold attracts cute and cuddly.” Hongjoong said, biting his lip as Seonghwa drilled into his skin with the tiny needle pen.

“I don’t really have one.” He replied calmly, mostly focused on how well he was outlining the text.

“Oh come on, there’s gotta be a type you like. You’re extremely attractive. I’m sure you could get anyone you wanted.”

Seonghwa pulled away from strawberry hair’s skin, taking a deep breath. “Can we not talk about this while I’m doing your tattoo? It’s rather distracting and I’m getting to the difficult parts.”

Hongjoong gasped. “Oh! You better not mess up! You’re dealing with a cop’s son!”

Mars froze. “What did you say?”

“Whoops, I wasn’t gonna tell you that.”

“You’re not a real cop?”

“Well, n-no. My father is.”

“So why did you come in and ask all of those stupid fucking questions and act like one?!” Seonghwa asked, slamming his pen onto his tray.

“I wanted to help my dad out is all. He’s been having trouble with cases.”

Mars frowned. “You know you can be arrested for impersonating an officer, correct?”

Hongjoong’s cheerful voice faded. “I’m completely aware of it. When you grow up with a dad that’s a police officer, you tend to get lectured more about the law than the usual kid.”

“Then why the hell did you do it? Especially on such a small case as shoplifting?”

“I was just trying to help. Honest.”

“I can get you arrested, you know.”

Hongjoong’s eyes glazed over, pure anger running through his dark eyes. “So can I. I know you saw the kid. Therefore I can get you arrested for withholding information.”

Seonghwa cursed under his breath. He blew it.

They both did. Big time.

Both of them had evidence against one another to get them in trouble with the law.

There was a minute of pure silence between the two, both of them refusing to even glance at each other.

“Tell you what.” Hongjoong sat up from his laying position on Seonghwa’s table, scratching his neck nervously. “How about we make a deal?”

Mars raised an eyebrow. “Make a deal? What kind of deal?”

“You don’t tell and I don’t tell in exchange for my tattoo to be finished.” The red haired boy said, his eyes landing on the elder’s head. “And..”

“And...”

“You help me make friends and establish myself here.”

The tattoo artist laughed. Loudly. The only thing audible was Seonghwa gasping for air.

“What a shit deal that is, kid.”

“We’re like the same age, don’t call me kid.”

“Whatever. That deal is one sided. I’m not gonna go through with something like that.”

Hongjoong furrowed his eyebrows. “ I’ll guarantee that your friend will be safe, then. The one you saw. I won’t let my dad suspect you or him.”

Seonghwa was speechless. They  hated  each other. With a burning passion. They worked each other up to the breaking point for fun.

How was he going to turn everything and do this nearly impossible deed for him?

“Well, is it a deal?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can y’all give me some feedback please I’m not usually desperate for comments but pls I’d appreciate it.
> 
> If you have time can you please let me know what you like and dislike/ things I should work on, etc.? It’ll help me out a ton


	14. Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t really have much to say other than I’m horrible at keeping myself writing.
> 
> song of the chapter: Rain- BTS (bc it fits the aesthetic)

A few weeks passed after Seonghwa made a deal with the devil. At least, that’s what Mingi called him.

“Little Satan called again. He keeps asking for you when you have appointments so I tell him to call later. His timing is impeccable.” Mingi said, groaning. “Why does he call my office anyway? He has your number.”

Seonghwa shrugged, biting down on the spoon handle he had slid in so he could open his yogurt. He took it out of his mouth once he peeled the plastic away, sighing. “His favorite thing to do is annoy people. You should really know this by now.”

“Have I told you I really don’t like his smug ass?”

Seonghwa pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. “Many times.”

“There’s just something about him that just... I want to punch him every time he shows up here.”

Jongho was pressed against the wall beside us, a lollipop in his mouth and his lanyard twirling in his fingers. “He sounds amazing.”

Seonghwa still had left out the part that Jongho had robbed a store when explaining who he was to Mingi. Eventually he settled on a client’s cousin, one that didn’t even come by anymore (He was certain he had moved away).

“Hey Mars. Any sign of that kid?” Jongho asked, crossing his arms. His usually hard expression transformed into a soft pout.

Jongho, Mingi and Seonghwa had discussed the mystery boy that had been lurking behind the parlor not too long ago. They all had gotten a little tipsy, and things happened to slip.

Seonghwa shook his head. “I haven’t seen anything back there. Then again, there has been a lot of rain recently, so maybe he’s avoiding being out.”

Mingi was busy making his third cup of ramyun, nodding his head to the beat of the random hip hop Jongho had put on. “Maybe his circumstances changed. We’ve had plenty of people that once came by everyday that just stopped visiting.”

“That’s true, but he seemed different to me. Something about him just... I dunno, he doesn’t seem like the type to do that.” The eldest responded, taking a few bites of his raspberry yogurt before continuing. “It just bothers me that I left my contact info for him and it’s been radio silence, even though I saw he has the means to communicate with me.”

“You randomly left your business card in the grass. That’s a little creepy of you, you know? Not everyone calls the first number they find on a little index card.” Jongho said. “Even my kids know not to do that.”

“Your kids?”

“My siblings.” Jongho corrected himself, plugging his earphones into his ears. “Anyway, you said you’d help me with algebra. Who’s better at it?”

Mingi immediately pointed to Seonghwa, not even giving him a chance to detest. “He’s the smarter one.”

“Says the kid that memorized the whole times table up to 30.” said Seonghwa.

“Listen, it’s helpful to know. Plus, y’know, my parents didn’t give me much of a choice.” Mingi frowned. That was right, his parents were so strict that he actually preferred to be homeless than under their rules.

Jongho slung his backpack over his shoulder, heading for Seonghwa’s office. “Alright, when you guys stop bickering I might be finished with it already.”

“But then why are you asking for help if you can do it?” Mingi barked, but by the time he came up with the question the door was shut.

Mingi eyed Seonghwa carefully, trying to read him. “What are you thinking, Hwa?”

Seonghwa bit his lip, twiddling his thumbs in a circle. “I’m wondering if I messed up and scared him off.”

Mingi tossed his spoon in the sink, and then threw the yogurt in the trash. “I don’t know what to tell you. The people that stand by the tracks were always a little bit odd, weren’t they?”

“I mean, yeah, but we’re all a little bit odd, so your statement is irrelevant.”

“Stop pulling those kind of fancy words out of your ass, it freaks me out sometimes.”

“Why?”

“We never speak with proper grammar and/ or slang in the parlor. At least that’s what the author says.”

It was in fact true; their author had never written them speaking in the queen’s english, because it’s something she knows nothing about.

Thank god.

“That can change whenever she feels like it. If she decides to make me the king of some fantasy kingdom, or a vampire that’s thousands of years old, then I’ll speak like that forever.” Seonghwa said, shuddering at the thought. “Can you imagine me with a british accent?”

Mingi scrunched up his nose, now uncomfortable with the thought that his alternate Seonghwa clone might speak that way in other stories. “Gross, I wouldn’t be friends with you if that was the case here.”

There was a round of silence between the two of them for a good two minutes before Seonghwa shrugged the fourth wall moment off his shoulders, and cleared his throat.

“Do you wanna watch something?”

Mingi narrowed his eyes at his elder. “Why do you ask when you know the answer’s gonna be yes?”

“I like to annoy you.” Seonghwa admitted with a smirk.

“Ain’t that the truth. Anyway, let’s watch twilight again. I’ll get you to like it.”

~~~~

Jongho was stumped. His nails dug into his scalp, fingers curled due to the stupid imaginary number problems he was assigned. They should in fact, not exist. The assignment itself was worthless and wouldn’t help in the future but it would help anyone get the urge to throw the textbook at a wall a few times.

He pushed himself away from the desk, figuring that he could use a break from doing his assignment. He’d already been alone for about twenty minutes, accompanied with no sound but the hum of Mars’ neon sign.

Worried about his siblings, he sent a text out to them, asking them about if they ate dinner and that he’d be back soon.

Wandering about the room, he realized that in the few times he’d been inside here that he never saw how awesome this place was. An accent wall of exposed brick, while the other walls were gray. They were covered with art of people, objects, birds, everything. Big, small, and medium canvases were nailed onto the neutral drywall, causing the room to become colorful. The open sign was lit on the wall with large but covered windows, creating a small glow of blue and red.

As for the furniture inside the office, it was just a few chairs and benches set up for different kinds of tattoos, along with a desk where his laptop belonged. It was opened, but a screensaver raced across, entertaining Jongho for a few moments before he was rudely interrupted by knocking.

However, he was startled by the fact that it wasn’t coming from the other side of the oak door that stood in between him and his friends.

No, it was the window. The sole window that was bare of blinds.

Jongho froze in place, glancing at the person who was knocking.

It was pouring outside; the fact that a manwould be in this area in this weather this late at night... That scared him.

From the looks of it, he was soaked from head to toe. His black hoodie was no longer doing it’s job, and he was now probably freezing with the winter air still lurking.

The man waved and sported a small smile, finally noticing that Jongho and him had caught a glimpse of one another. His teeth chattered as he tried to mouth out a few words, but the trembling this man was experiencing made it impossible for Jongho to decipher what he was saying.

Then, he whipped out a card. A measley, paper business card, and held it up ,his hands pressing it against the glass somewhat desperately.

Jongho crept closer to get a good look at what it said on it, careful to stay away from the creep that might just be trying to lure him into something.

The words had been nearly erased by the amount of water the card had been soaked in, but he was still able to make out: “Mars’ Parlor.”

It took a moment for the boy to process the information he was given, but once he did, he almost tripped over his own two feet back pedalling to the exit.

That son of a bitch.

~~~

“It’s crazy what people will do for a dare,” Mingi stated, scrolling through his camera roll in an attempt to show Mars a piercing he did that day.

They had forgotten completely about Twilight; instead they started talking about some of their recent clientele.

About thirty seconds later, he found the picture. A girl’s tongue was stuck out to the camera, and on her tong was three ball piercings in a straight line. Vertically.

“What the fuck?” Seonghwa said, startled at the fact that he had to see something as horrendous as that.

“I know, it’s pretty cool. I’ve never seen anyone with it before, but she showed me a picture of it beforehand.” Mingi said, pulling the phone away from Seonghwa’s sight, admiring it closely. “It’s gotta be one of my best works.”

Seonghwa shuddered. “You’re a fucking weirdo, you know that right?”

Mingi nodded. “So are you. You’re OCD, so we have our own little quirks.”

That was fair. Seonghwa was propped up against the kitchen counter with a can of ipa in his hand, drinking it slowly as Mingi kept insisting to show him memes.

He wasn’t planning on drinking a lot tonight, but he longed for that burning sensation in his throat once more. While he drank, he focused on everything other than whatever his fucked up mind had him thinking of.

If a normal client of his were to crawl into his ear and see a movie of what he was thinking, he was sure they would run away screaming.

Often it was just him thinking of bizarre ways that someone close to him might get hurt. If someone didn’t respond to him right away, he assumed the worst and his mind would come up with a million scenarios of what could’ve happened to them.

Heart attack. Car accident. Overdosed. Passed out and hit their head. Mugged. Hostage situations.

Graphic depictions of every event always played in his head. And sometimes it felt amazing to have that stop for a few hours.

So in other words. He fucking loved to drink. But he hated the aftermath, so he avoided it until he couldn’t anymore.

“Mingi, do you have any plans tonight?”

He shook his head. “Hardly. Yeosang and Wooyoung were planning to do something together with me, but it got postponed for later on this week, since Wooyoung’s trying to keep the bakery up.”

Oh, yeah. Wooyoung went back to the bakery a few days ago with his brother and mom. Lucky for them their bakery has very local customers that keep them in business, but the workload is pretty rough just for the three of them.

Seonghwa and Mingi went to visit most of those days but Wooyoung was stressed and didn’t have time to chat that much.

“Ah, okay.”

“Why?”

“No reason.” He was going to say he needed Mingi to take Jongho home, but he didn’t want him to see his living conditions.

They stood there, Seonghwa drinking his beer and Mingi tweeting some nonsense out for a good while before Jongho sliced through the silence.

He opened the door abruptly, nearly making Mingi shit himself.

“I can’t believe your shit worked.” Jongho grunted, storming up to Seonghwa and snatching the beer out of his hand. “The guy’s out there.”

Seonghwa was surprised that Jongho had the nerve to do that to his elder, but he pushed those feelings aside to hear him out. “The guy? Which guy?”

Mingi’s eyes grew wide. “Is it the strawberry bitch?”

Jongho ignored Mingi. “It’s your boy, the guy you left your business card with. He’s outside.”

“What do you mean?”

“He knocked on your window while I was figuring my math shit out.” Jongho stated, pointing to the office. “He creeps me out.”

Seonghwa walked past a frowning Jongho into his office, hoping to see what he was talking about.

“Jongho.”

Jongho sounded annoyed. “What is it?”

“There’s no one there.”

The youngest ran into the room with Seonghwa, glancing at the window before blinking a few times.

“I swear, he was there.” Jongho said, mouth agape.

Mingi chuckled. “The math’s getting to him.”

“No, I swear, I’m not lying.”

Mingi began to tease the younger, cracking jokes about him possibly being on drugs or that math makes him hallucinate.

Seonghwa tuned them out. He found himself glued in place, staring at the window.

Sure enough, he saw the card on the window. It was glued on due to the moisture it had collected over time on the dry glass.

He ignored the flying math book that whiffed by his head and tiptoed closer to the stuck card, noticing some ink sprawled upon it.

It wasn’t from his business card; it was blue ink from a pen.

_Thanks, but I don’t need this anymore._

Hmm.

Underneath the message, there’s a name scribbled out, but he can just manage to read it through the lines.

_San_.


	15. Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes so this might be all over the place.
> 
> Sorryyyy.

_Stay away from the train tracks, honey._

San gritted his teeth as he shuffled past the antique shop, leaving his bike locked up in the silver lock up in front.

His hands gripped the sides of his sweatshirt, desperate for something to be put into them. A cigarette, a paper clip, an old wadded up receipt.. something to get the urge away.

He curled his fingers over a single cig he had been stashing away for a moment like this, pulling it out with a sigh of relief.

For now he would just twirl it around, just like he always did when he headed for the tracks.

San really couldn’t explain why the tracks felt somewhat safe to him. He was always told by his parents to stay away from them... but now, it’s the only place he went, besides his job.

His shift at the club ended earlier tonight, earlier than usual. The owner decided to close at midnight for no reason, and San was forced to just accept that. 

It wasn’t like he needed money desperately. He’s not a college student after all.

San’s phone buzzed in his pocket, startling him out of his daze.

He dug it out and glared at the screen before picking up the call. “Yeah.”

“Hey. I might have a place for you here. All I gotta do is talk to some people, and it can be yours. What do you think?”

He had called a friend to see if he could get a job at another place; the club wasn’t working out for him. 

San stopped fidgeting with his cigarette. “That’s great.” He said, excited for the nee opportunity. It wasn’t much better than being a handsome bartender at a club, but it would bring him in some more money.

“I’ll let you know if it works out.” His friend said. Then, without another word, he hung up.

San sighed with relief. “Things are really working out.” He said aloud to himself. “Maybe I don’t need help after all.”

Despite that, he headed to his usual thinking spot; the rarely used rusty tracks behind the shopping center downtown. With his bike he’d be there in no time, but it would take a lot longer for him to walk.

Why he decided to walk, he was not sure. But he’d soon regret it.

At the half way mark it began to pour down on him, the clouds finally splitting in half, letting mother nature piss out all of the rain it had been holding back all day.

San cursed under his breath and started to jog, hoping to get underneath the bus stop glass nearby his beloved hang out area in a few minutes time.

Four wet minutes later, San reached his bus stop destination. Out of sheer luck, he didn’t slip while he jogged on the soaking sidewalk and pavement. He figured it was some miracle because everyone knew not to run while it’s raining, especially on slippery metal surfaces.

He panted heavily, resting his hands on his knees, taking a moment to catch his breath.

Well, his roommate would be pissed once he got home. He was sure he wasn’t going to hear the end of it.

He sat on the bench once he had caught his breath, listening to the rain slap the roads with astonishing force, the sound almost soothing. 

While he sat there, he observed the shopping center— his shopping center— across the street, watching the familiar signs glisten in the dead of night.

China King, Mars’ Tattoos, Shoe Depot, Sally’s Beauty Supply... seeing them shimmer made him feel warm.

His mother used to work at the Dollar Tree across from the same shopping center, and nearly every night they’d sit at the same bus stop, waiting for their ride home. She only worked there for a year or so, and it was when he was about seven, but those nights were some of the best ones.

She and his father split when he was young, and his step father had the night shift, so he was always stuck with her until the store closed. He wasn’t a bad kid that messed around with the shelves, but rather he organized them and did his homework in the office while he waited for his mom to get off work.

His legs would hang off the bench as they watched cars zoom by, and every time he was greeted by the warm signs from the shopping center. It reminded him of the nice conversations and all the games they played. 

Those nights stopped happening after she left the job, so the lights and the bench are the only things he has left to remind himself of that time.

Many of the shops had closed down, and some new ones opened up over the years. But the feeling was always there.

Nothing was open anymore, but he could see the light on in Mars’ Tattoos.

He’d never gone in, and he had no intention of doing so, until that one morning.

He had been sitting on the tracks, crying and letting his frustration out when he heard a car turn the corner and park behind the shopping center.

San didn’t remember much of that day, other than the fact the owner of the parlor gave him his business card.

At first, San thought it was a ploy to get him to get the gnarliest tattoo he could possibly come up with, but he decided against it.

The man seemed cold and harsh, but the gesture was anything but.

He took out the card he had left in his back pocket, reading it over again.

_Mars’ Tattoo Parlor_

_Phone Number: xxx-xxx-xxxx_

_Address: xxxxxxxxxxx_

_Owner: Mars_

The ink had faded away and the numbers had just become one with the address. He blamed the rain, and decided to just put it back in his pocket for the time being.

Should he have acted on the fact he received it? What could that have meant? Was he trying to help?

San really wasn’t sure. 

Of course the boy wanted someone to talk to, but he wasn’t sure if he should trust someone as random as a tattoo parlor owner.

Plus, it may not have been a kind gesture, it could’ve just been a way to advertise.

But then again, it was a complete stranger who had no clue about his personal life, so maybe it was his best chance to get things off his chest?

San gripped the sides of his jeans and pinched them out of pure anxiety and frustration. He was at a dead end here.

If everything pulled through with this job, he’d be fine. Everything would be okay, and he wouldn’t need someone anymore.

But if he had to continue being harassed by drunk customers on the daily at that damn club... he was going to fucking lose the war he started a long time ago.

Relax. He needed to relax.

This spot was for relaxing. He was almost there; the place where he could escape everything for hours on end.

He could see it from where he sat, the tracks glowing eerily underneath flickeringparking lot lights.

There was no traffic after seven or eight at night, due to the fact that gangs become more active once it’s darker out.

San didn’t care anymore. At this point, job or not, if they shot him in the head he’d be thankful to finally be out of this life.

He finally got the strength to get up and walk cautiously across the street, being very careful to not be hit by a stray car zooming past.

He jogged through the rain, reaching the roofed entryway in front of the stores, waddling down them until he reached the parlor.

In that split second, he decided he wouldn’t need it anymore. If anything, he’d take matters in his own hands if nothing changed.

He approached the parlor, half expecting no one to be in the building, but to his surprise, he saw a kid sat at the desk, his back facing the window. He was pacing back and forth, running his hands through his hair.

Clearly this kid was going through some tough shit.

San gently knocked on the window, waving a few times until it was clear he had caught his attention.

The kid was cautious, which was rightly so, since San was just a random creep knocking on a window with all black on.

San took the card out of his pocket, and stuck it onto the glass, hoping the kid would get the memo.

Instead, once the kid read what little was legible on the card, he stormed off.

San was pretty confused, but he took that time to scribble a message on it.

_Thanks, but I don’t need this anymore_,  He wrote, saying the words aloud to himself as he wrote them down, trying his best not to rip the card. He simply did not know how his ink even showed up on the card.

He signed his name, but then realized it was a huge mistake and went out of his way to cross it out several times, making sure it wasn’t something someone could make out. But alas, he was on a time limit.

He slapped it onto the glass again, making sure it stuck on and left.

San didn’t want to be there for when they came back. Because he knew... he was certain he would’ve changed his mind if he had to face Park Seonghwa again.

He didn’t want to do that. He preferred to not do that for a while.


	16. Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SO LATE AHFNNDNC IVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR WEEKS IM SO SORRY
> 
> HAPPY NEW YEAR PALS! I HOPE YOU HAD A GOOD HOLIDAY AND I HOPE HE YEAR IS GOING WELL FOR YOU SO FAR.
> 
> STREAM ANSWER!
> 
> No but on a serious note, I’m terribly sorry that this didn’t come out sooner. I worked the week of christmas (besides christmas of course) and ever since that week I’ve been preparing for college classes (they started today!!)! So YEAH! I’m busy!!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. There are some... sensitive parts in this chapter that I’m not sure if they’ll be suitable for everyone.
> 
> So trigger warning, just to be safe. Alright?
> 
> Comment something for me to read, I love comments :’)

“What do you mean I don’t have the job?”

San felt angry tears sting his cheeks as he roared into his phone.

All week he had been awaiting this fucking phone call. He should’ve known it was for nothing. Ha, how could it have worked out? Nothing works out for him.

“Look, San, I understand you’re upset-“

“No, you fucking don’t. Do you know how it is to work at a bar full of people who want to get in your pants? Thirsty gay men wanting a kid like me to please them. They’ll do anything to get their way, and I cannot keep going through that, man!”

“I know, I know, and I’m sorry, but my boss found another person to fill the slot before I could recommend you to him. There’s nothing I can do.” He said, obviously trying to be sincere.

San couldn’t do it. He could care less. This was his last way out. The path he needed for freedom. And now that way was closed.

“Unbelievable.” San growled.

“I’m really sorry, bro.”

“Don’t call me that.” San grit through his teeth before hanging up on him.

He had escaped going to classes once again, though he was sure this was his last available absence before they would kick him out of the course.

Whatever. Fuck becoming a business major like his dad wanted. He wasn’t going to last long if things kept going like this.

He wrestled with his cigarette pack before pulling one out, rolling it within his fingers before tossing it in his mouth.

It was a fairly cold day for the middle of March, and San watched as his breath became a cloud, before flying away with the wind.

His hands gripped at the metal tracks below him, the rust and steel digging into his skin with fury. 

Here he was, on his precious train tracks, contemplating life. Sure, he was young, but he was a fuck up.

Ever since he was younger, he hasn’t been able to please anyone. His parents hate that he is an average student with no drive towards his education. At first, he did try, but he gave up after he realized nothing would be enough for them.

His boss was his third cousin or some shit like that, so he was hired into the club he worked at at 16.

He was a busboy then, but his work never was enough for him. When he got promoted to a trainee bartender when he turned 18, he thought that his work was getting better, but his cousin actually wanted to find a job San wouldn’t suck at (Now he’s stuck because he’s the only bartender at the club).

Beginning to work at a primarily gay club/bar at 16 was hard enough, but constantly having older men stare him down was uncomfortable.

All San did was wipe down tables and wash dishes. What was so attractive about that?

He was first... taken advantage of about five months in. A drunk customer of his caught him off guard in the back when he was cleaning...

San clawed at his eyes, forcing himself to focus on something else. Pain worked, but only for the time being.

His parents never really cared about his feelings, and only want him to become a successful businessman. If it’s not related to anything like that, forget it.

During the day, the trains ran. Not often, but sometimes he could hear it rumble by while he was in class nearby.

God, he wished for one to just end him while he sat here, hoping to end his miserable life.

He stared at the lonely shopping center from behind, seeing the different store names plastered onto the bland brick exteriors. 

Mars’ Tattoo Parlor.

His mind flashed back to when he was in school.

_“Park Seonghwa will be joining our class from now on. Everyone be nice to him, okay?”_

_The teacher gave the boy a wide smile before encouraging to take a seat anywhere he would like._

_Most of the kids glared at him, disgusted at his appearance. His clothes were old and somewhat muddy, along with his busted up black converse._

_Not to mention, he looked extremely... cold. Emotionless._

_He scanned the room carefully, his hands in his pockets. Then, without hesitation, he sat behind a boy named Taewon, and right next to San._

_A few months passed in school, and San was still too busy with his academics to befriend the kid. It was only fifth grade, but he wanted to make sure everything was going to be good so he could show his parents._

_He planned on bringing back an A on his final tests. Just like he usually did._

_One of the things he distracted himself from with the studying was the bullies. He had a horrible haircut and his clothes were often way too preppy for the school, so people would tease him._

_Though he didn’t really introduce himself to Seonghwa, the ragedy boy stood up for him. No matter what, if he was present, he would always send the bullies off, turning the target away from San and onto himself._

_By the time 7th grade came around, he was likely one of the most hated kids in the school. San was beginning to understand that nothing would ever be good enough for his father, so he cared less about studies and focused more on creating friends._

_He befriended Seonghwa briefly, but once his friends caught wind, they convinced him to abandon him. They said that he was a nobody, and that he wasn’t worth the time of day._

_Not long after he spoke to Seonghwa and thanked him for defending him all those years ago, Seonghwa was sent away._

_He presumed that it was because he was in foster care at the time, and lids are constantly being transferred around in the country._

_Later on, he found out that he was released into foster care due to a family accident._

_Ever since, he’s felt guilty. After hearing that, he wished he had helped out more; got to know him more. To see that he was struggling with something._

_Now, Seonghwa’s face was something that haunted him. It made him feel small and insignificant, though all the boy ever did was help him. San had beat himself so much about the incident that he can’t even hear the name without wanting to cry._

San was at his breaking point. He was completely aware of that, yet he felt hopeless.

He trembled as the wind brushed against his face with the harsh, fading winter chill. Shivering, he crossed his arms in a desperate attempt to keep himself warm in just a thin hoodie.

_Crack_.

Due to the sudden sound of a young tree branch cracking in the distance, San slipped off of the tracks, landing on his right side. His hoodie shredded open when the fabric collided with the rusty metal, and when he glanced over, there was blood slowly seeping out of a new cut created by his sacred steel rails.

He gritted his teeth, pressing his opposite hand over the wound.

He stumbled back onto his feet, wary of standing on the split gauges taunting him from a distance.

His breathing became hurried; he’d have to do something about this. 

For San, it was a now or never call.

He knew all Seonghwa did was help. If only he could drag himself there... maybe he could patch him up. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

But he betrayed him. He thanked him for the help. He thanked him for everything he did for him, but never gave anything in return. What kind of person does that? Not a good one. He was such a shitty human being.

San hissed as the pain increased as the little adrenaline he had gained in the fall dropped within him. He gripped his forearm intensely, feeling his nails dig into his skin.

Oddly enough, though the area was on fire and blood soaked... it felt nice. The pain... Watching the blood as it dripped onto his gray hoodie... There was something satisfying about it.

Like he said... he was majorly fucked up. He blamed his previous life choices for that thought.

He bit his lip, glaring at the sign again, before sighing deeply through his chattering teeth, deciding to trek to the front entrance of the shop.

Something he hated to admit was that the tracks made him feel safe because of the location. It was right next to his school savior; the friend he never deserved. He never had to interact with him... Instead, he could just enjoy the aura around the place and use it as an escape from the evil, fucked up world.

He made his way towards the shop, feeling his heart begin to beat faster with every step. Each one felt heavier and heavier, as if this alone was draining enough.

Soon enough, he was at the door, his wounded arm held up close the glass, prepared to knock.

He froze.

Two days ago, he didn’t need this. He didn’t want this. But here he was, craving the attention of a human who didn’t think of him as someone who was bitter and hated everyone.

Was it worth it?

His knuckles collided with the door, and his knock went from loud to soft within milliseconds.

He became hesitant. 

Shit, was he actually doing this? Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

San panicked and laid himself flat on the wall beside the door, fearing this interaction. What else was he supposed to do? All he knew was to try to hide.

His ears didn’t pick up any sound. He didn’t hear anyone approaching. He didn’t hear the bell ring. Nothing.

But suddenly reality came rushing back to him when the man he dreaded to see tapped his still shoulder.

“San?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was that?


	17. Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’M SO SORRY THAT THIS IS BEING POSTED LITERALLY ALMOST AFTER AN ENTIRE MONTH
> 
> I HAVE HAD LITTLE MOTIVATION TO WRITE, AND ON TOP OF THAT HAVE BEEN BUSY JUGGLING SCHOOL AND WORK AND UGH ITS JUST TOUGH
> 
> I ALSO LOSE SLEEP OVER THESE CHAPTERS SINCE I WRITE THEM AT 1-2-3AM ALL THE DAMN TIME AND SINCE MY CLASSES START EARLY I HAVE A SMALLER PERIOD OF TIME TO WORK ON STUFF
> 
> I AM LITERALLY SO SORRY THOUGHHHH
> 
> In all seriousness, I really hope you enjoy this. Thank you for being so patient with me!!

Seonghwa didn’t work that following day. That entire day he was feeling a little fatigued, like he was coming down with a cold or the flu.

He drove home, and sure enough the next morning he had just enough energy to call in and tell Mingi he couldn’t make it.

Anko was curled up on his chest, her fur shifting when Seonghwa breathed. Seonghwa rested his hand on his forehead, feeling the calm heat from his fever rise into his palm.

“Yunho?” Mars’ voice was hoarse.

The dancer seemed out of breath when he picked up the phone. “Hwa? What’s up buddy?”

“Can you do me a favor? Can you drop by Wooyoung’s and get me some soup?” Anko hopped off his chest and began nuzzling his cheek softly.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Just... under the weather. Might’ve caught whatever’s going around.” Seonghwa said, giving his cat a small scratch behind her ear. “I can’t do my daily round with him. I want you to make sure he’s doing okay.”

“Sure thing. I’m busy with one of my regulars, though so it may be a bit.” Yunho admitted.

Seonghwa heard the slight ruffling of fabric as if Yunho was holding his phone to his chest to hide a conversation he was having. Suddenly, a loud laugh erupted from him, startling Seonghwa.

“You talking to that chick you admire still?”

Seonghwa could visualize Yunho turning red. “Yeah.”

“Ask her out already, you pussy.”

“N-No, I can’t do that today, sorry to disappoint you. That’s too... far.” Yunho stammered, trying to play off as if he wasn’t just told to ask his client on a date.

“Puuussy. PUUUUUSSY.” Seonghwa sang, stopping abruptly to cough.

“Alright alright, that’s enough.”

Mars repeated his teasing until Yunho had enough. He hung up on him.

Just as Yunho texted him a bit after the call assuring him that he’d get the soup, Mingi’s ringtone sounded through the empty apartment.

“Someone’s here to see you.” Mingi whispered.

“Mingi. I’m sick, remember?”

“It’s the fucking strawberry. He wanted to talk to you.”

Seonghwa blinked. “Continue.”

“He literally didn’t tell me anything else. He just smirked at me like the little demon spawn he is.”

Mars grunted. “Sounds interesting.” He lost himself in thought for a moment, and then bit his lip. “Give him my number for me.”

Mingi choked. “What?!”

“You heard me. Give him my damn number so he can stop coming around to bother you. I know he’s obnoxious.”

“But, Hwa, I wouldn’t let you go through that hell yourself! This is fine.”

“Mingiiii. Just do what I say, okay? I may regret it later but I’m sick and I got nothing better to do.” Seonghwa grumbled.

He could hear Mingi muttering things under his breath, but he decided to not comment on it.

“Anything else you want to ruin your life with?”

“Mingi!”

“Fine. Well, I’m not gonna keep you. I got a full schedule today.”

Seonghwa sighed, a small grin growing on his face. “Alright. Text me if you need anything.”

“I will. Bye!”

~~~~~~

_ Knock knock. _

Seonghwa awoke from his deep slumber, startled. He didn’t even remember letting himself fall back asleep. He guessed his body had other plans.

He groaned loudly, running his hands through his somewhat fluffy hair, making sure to comb out his bed head before shuffling towards the door. His sweatshirt was loose and fell around his waist, nearly covering up his basketball shorts completely.

When did he get this sweatshirt again? And why was it so giant on him?

Seonghwa leaned on the wall as he opened the door, cracking it slightly to get a glimpse of whoever was going to spot him looking like he had just died.

“Hmm?” He hummed, lazily glancing at a concerned Yunho. And company. “Yeosang...?”

“Hi.” He waved, giving Seonghwa a small, evil smile.

Why in the world was Mingi’s chaotic no homo friend here? He could barely handle Yunho.

“Sorry, he wanted to tag along. He had just shown up at the studio as I was leaving and, well...”

“I was also hungry. So I bought the soup and lunch for us, cause I felt generous.”

Seonghwa blinked, still staring at them through the crack. “Yeosang, Wooyoung’s bakery isn’t exactly the cheapest.”

Yeosang frowned. “I know. That’s why I came because that soup cost me 7 dollars. I’m not gonna get over spending that much for a measley chicken noddle soup unless I see you eat it.”

Seonghwa raised an eyebrow, unhooking the chain from his door (as he hadn’t gotten out of bed to unlock it in the first place), and rested himself upon the doorframe.

As shaky and feeling as weak as he was, he was sure that was the only thing holding him up.

“Well. I’d normally invite you in, but I don’t want you guys getting sick.” Seonghwa said, sniffling miserably.

Yunho pouted. “I also got you some medicine. Hopefully it’ll help you out a little bit.” He said, pulling out a tiny bag from inside the bakery bag. “You look horrible.”

“Thanks. As if I don’t already know that.”

Yeosang without Mingi was always a little strange. It’s like he creeps back into his shy hole, and instead of talking, he just observes. Seonghwa didn’t mind, though. The last thing he needed was a man jumping all over the place while his headache was still bad.

They chatted for a few minutes, talking about how things were going at Wooyoung’s bakery and the studio.

“Today they were fairly busy when we got there, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.” Yeosang informed Seonghwa, crossing his arms.

“Yeah. They’re doing a good job holding up the fort.” Yunho added with a small smile before frowning. “Hey, can I use your restroom?”

Seonghwa felt a little hesitant letting him into his bacteria filled home, but if he had to go...

Seonghwa nodded and let him inside, ignoring his cat who was sat next to his leg.

Anko meowed politely at the sight of the two boys, following Yunho lazily as he scurried into the bathroom like a tiny mouse. She was overjoyed to see him until he shut the door before she arrived.

Seonghwa’s siamese cat then glanced at him, before deciding she wanted to be held and threw herself onto him.

Yeosang gasped as Seonghwa jumped slightly at the sudden feeling of his cat colliding into him head first.

“Anko!” Yeosang said, laughing.

Mars stared at his cat, completely confused on what the hell the feline was doing, but he picked her up anyway.

Hugging her close to his chest, her purr was the loudest noise that erupted between the two boys as they waited for the loud friend to return.

“Do you know the siamese song? From that one movie?” Yeosang suddenly asked after watching Seonghwa cradle his cat like a child.

He frowned. “The siamese cat song from Lady and the Tramp? Yeah.”

“Anko looks like one of them.”

Seonghwa chuckled. He hadn’t thought about that. “She does, doesn’t she?”

He started humming the melody as he danced around the apartment, his cat secured in his arms.

Mars was surprised that Anko was letting him carry her for such a long time. And as expected, when Yunho reappeared from the restroom, she stayed just long enough for him to spot the two before wriggling out.

“What were you doing?”

Seonghwa shrugged. “She was being a baby.”

“She doesn’t like that, though. Does she?”

“She wanted to be picked up.” Yeosang said. “I don’t know either.”

Yunho paused for a moment, staring at Anko as she ran to his feet. “Were you singing the siamese song?”

Seonghwa felt his face growing red. “No. That’s dumb, I would never.”

Yunho smiled. “I swear when you’re sick you’re a different person. Very weird.”

Yeosang and Yunho shared a laugh, and not long after they witnessed Seonghwa do something that embarrassing to himself, they retreated into the darkness of the night.

God, Seonghwa was glad he had his sickness to excuse that behavior.

~~~~

The next day, Seonghwa found himself strapping a face mask onto himself, and heading out to the parlor.

It was after closing hours, but as much as he hated to admit it... he missed Mingi. Mingi was someone he could talk to all the time, and no matter how much Seonghwa acted like he hated that he was touchy, it was somewhat comforting.

He had been itching to get out of his apartment, though he knew his fever hadn’t let up and was still raging at 101. Whatever, he could deal with it while he went out for a couple hours at most.

When he arrived, Mingi was definitely surprised.

He jumped ten feet in the air when he heard the back door open.

“Who’s there?” Mingi called out, fists already up even though his bed head was the most visible thing. He didn’t have his glasses on, so he was as blind as a bat.

“It’s me, you idiot. I’m the only one with the key besides you.” Seonghwa said, shaking his head. “I swear, if this is how I’m always greeted, I’m not gonna let you hold my hand anymore when we watch movies.”

Mingi’s angry stance suddenly shifted into a soft, pleading one as he ran up to Seonghwa with glossy eyes. “NOOOOO! I’m sorry!!”

Mars mumbled under his breath before giving his co-worker a little chuckle. “It’s alright. I know you weren’t expecting me.”

“Or anyone. It’s 11pm, hyung.”

Seonghwa pretended not to hear the honorifics Mingi just used. “Your point?”

“And you’re sick, shouldn’t you still be at home?” Mingi asked, lightly planting his hand on Seonghwa’s forehead. It was cool, and it provided a moment of relief. He sighed deeply.

“You’re burning up, Hwa.” Mingi pouted, crossing his arms. “Why are you even here?”

Seonghwa shrugged, adjusting the strap of his mask around his ear. “I wanted to check in.”

“You could call.”

“That’s not the same.”

Seonghwa’s black sweatshirt was covered in Anko’s hair, which was strange for him because he was always clean cut. He never showed up to the parlor in disarray like this before.

“I like the look,” Mingi said, raising his eyebrows. “You’re really taking after me.”

“Hush. I didn’t bother changing into a collared shirt because I wasn’t planning on staying long.” Seonghwa grumbled.

Mingi hummed and waved off Seonghwa’s comment. “But seriously, man, you look pretty good. You should show off this side of you more often.”

Mars wasn’t sure what to do with that information, so he didn’t respond to him. Instead, he snagged a water from their fridge and took a long sip. “How have the days been? A lot of clients?”

Mingi nodded. “Yeah. I’ve done a good amount of piercings, but most people usually reschedule to meet with you for tattoos. I’ve only done the simple ones.”

“That hasn’t changed, huh? Do they not think you can do tats since you do piercings?”

Mingi bit his lip ring. “Nah. I’m sure they want it done by the best, so they choose to wait for you rather than get it done by an amateur.”

“Fair enough.”

They discussed business for a while, mainly talking about Mingi’s house fund he’s been saving up. So far it was getting close to just enough money to grab a place on the far side of town near Seonghwa.

“Yesterday, I figured out I maybe even have enough for a car. Yeosang has a buddy in another county who’s selling an old camry for cheap. It has a ton of miles but it’s not falling apart so I’ll possibly invest in it.” Mingi told him, fiddling with his hoodie strings. He kept twisting them in between his fingers.

Seonghwa was surprised. “Really? I thought you said you didn’t want a car.”

Mingi shrugged. “Things change.”

“Yeah, like your stubborn ass can change.” Seonghwa teased, pulling his sleeves up to cover his hands. He was suddenly freezing cold.

Then, there was a almost silent knock on the door. It gradually grew louder, but it was only just loud enough for Mars to hear over the buzzing neon open sign.

Mingi continued talking through the knocking, acting as if nothing had just rung out throughout the parlor.

Seonghwa inched toward the door as he distantly listened to Mingi rant about his latest show, Grey’s Anatomy. Sure, he wanted to listen to Mingi talk about how much of an ass Karev is, but he could’ve sworn he did hear a knock.

Or was he being delusional because of the flu? His hands were trembling worse and worse the longer he stayed here, and with how cold he felt, he knew that the fever was going up.

Maybe that was it.

But then, a silhouette pushed itself onto their window, creating a shadow that was clearly visible through the partially closed blinds.

He was in front of the door now, and could easily pull it open to see what was going on, but for some reason, he hesitated.

“Hwa? What are you doing?”

Seonghwa ignored him. He scratched his cheek and then gripped the door handle, swiftly opening it without any trouble.

Suddenly, Seonghwa knew why he was hesitating.  _ Did my body know who it was? _

He blinked. He blinked twice.

Blood soaked clothes and all, he was staring at a classmate he had forgotten about many years ago.

“San?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY! I have something to tell you!!
> 
> I actually have a twitter!!  
@devilhos is my ateez account and I’m on there primarily. I do do updates for the chapters, as well as share my undying love for jongho and the rest of ateez.
> 
> Follow me if you want!!
> 
> Anyway!! Sorry for the plug, bye bye!


	18. Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a half-assed chapter... 
> 
> But I do have plans to elaborate on San and Seonghwa!! I just need to find the time to write it out. I’ve had this sitting in my notes for about two weeks and I just now finished it.
> 
> These last few days have been rough for me due to the news with Jongho and other personal things, so I’m sorry... I had plans to post this earlier than now but. Things happened.
> 
> Anyway... I’d like to let y’all know that I have NO CLUE when this will end... I haven’t even thought of an ending but I’m sure it will be wholesome as fuck.
> 
> You guys are amazing. None of you will ever realize how much it means to me that I’m getting so much support and love for this story...
> 
> Thank you.  
-K

San smiled grimly, hissing through his teeth as he glared at Seonghwa.

Seonghwa’s eyes were glossy as his eyes ran from his face to the gash that was exposed to the night air. His lips trembled suddenly, but only for a slight moment before his expression morphed into one that San couldn’t quite read.

“I...” Seonghwa began to speak, but he was cut off by the loud whistling of the wind attacking the two. 

Both of them shuddered as the cold creeped up onto their necks, and Seonghwa quickly wrapped his arms around San’s good wrist. “You’re insane. Come inside.”

The entire time, San felt like he was dreaming. He was now reunited with his past hero, the man who helped him survive high school without scratches and bruises to come home with.

His eyes were fixed on Seonghwa’s hand as it gingerly held onto him, his long fingers overlapping as he tugged him along into the unknown that was his parlor.

“What the fuck, Hwa? Who the hell is this? And what the hell happened to him?”

San was scared by the sudden sound of another’s voice, flinching as he saw him start towards the two. Without realizing, San had back-pedalled away slightly, ready to run if he decided to do anything.

Seonghwa noticed, and stopped him in his tracks. “Mingi, just... get me the bandages we have in the back, please.” Seonghwa pleaded, leading San into Mingi’s office. San stumbled behind him as he pulled him inside.

His friend let go of his wrist, rubbing it gently in an attempt to make sure his rough grip didn’t hurt him. The eldest muttered to himself as he slipped across the room, gathering different tools and maneuvering stools as to make a spot for San.

Once Seonghwa closed the door behind them two, he exhaled loudly. San watched him tentatively, unsure what to do. He was numb due to the cold, yet he felt the warmth coming off of Seonghwa.

“Come sit here. Mingi and I will wrap that up for you.” Seonghwa said.

San sheepishly obeyed, as he had no idea what to do in this situation he was in anymore. All he knew is that his arm hurt like hell, and he’d very much like someone to help him with it. He sat himself on the stool, his tip toes barely reaching the floor.

Seonghwa paced over to the sink, where he began to rummage through the cabinets in a frantic search for what San assumed to be alcohol to treat his wound. He grabbed the large bottle and set it aside before switching on the sink.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.” Seonghwa said quietly, scrubbing his hands in the sink. He turned off the faucet and flicked the access water off his hands before grabbing the nearby towel and drying them off. “After I moved away... we shouldn’t have seen each other again.”

San’s mouth was dry. Words were not forming in his head, and he internally cursed at himself for it. The one time that he needs his words... he can’t find them. They’re lost in the web strung up in his very busy mind.

Seonghwa glanced at San, who was clutching his bleeding arm, his eyes focused on the ground, tears welling up in his eyes.

“I-“ San finally choked out, his voice hoarse. “I’m sorry.”

Before Seonghwa could respond, Mingi barged in with loads of bandages. He saw San sitting in his stool, blood dripping from his fingers as Seonghwa rushed to collect supplies to wrap him up.

Seonghwa looked at Mingi hesitantly. “Mingi.”

Mingi’s eyes didn’t waver from San, and the feeling of uneasiness continued to build up inside of San’s gut. His insides were twisting and contorting with anxiety, yet he didn’t let it show.

“Mingi, stop staring, you’re making him uncomfortable.” Hwa stated, snatching the bandages out of the red haired boy’s hands. “Can you wait outside?”

The red haired boy nodded, but before he left he pulled Seonghwa aside, whispering something into his ear. Seonghwa shook his head in response, in which Mingi replied with opening and closing the door behind him abruptly.

“I’m sorry about him.” Seonghwa simply stated, peeling the plastic open, revealing sterile gauze and bandages.

There was a very solemn, quiet moment between the two as Seonghwa gently tended to San’s wound.

Aside from the casual hiss from San due to the pain and alcohol being set on the cut, that was all that dared to erupt from the two.

“Y-You know... you were my only true friend.” San spoke softly, his lip trembling involuntarily. “I never forgot what you did for me.”

“San. You look horrible. What happened to you?”

“Seonghwa. Park Seonghwa.”

Seonghwa tilted his head slightly as he faced the youngest. He captured his attention fairly easily, and soon San’s permanently puffy eyes met the tattoo artist’s own.

Seonghwa flashed San a small smile, followed by a friendly little head pat. 

“I got you now. I’ll protect you. Okay? Just like old times.”

San couldn’t believe his ears.

Despite everything he was feeling; pain, sorrow, anger...

Everything disappeared once he heard those words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it was so short! Like I said I have plans for the next chapter.
> 
> I AM ON TWITTER! Follow me! @devilhos !! I promise I’m nice. I met someone that has read my story and god I would love to meet more of you. If you have a twt account, don’t be afraid to DM me if you have any questions or just want to chat!! I’m actually as intimidating as a baby penguin so..
> 
> Until next time!!


	19. Eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so fucking late, I'm sooooo sorry.
> 
> So much has happened! Online college is extremely difficult for me, and I work on weekends due to me beig an essential worker... so forgive me!
> 
> My birthday was also yesterday (April 12th) so, y'know... busy busy!
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoy this. I made it really long. I plan to clear everything up in maybe 4-5 more chapters! But my mind is always changing. Once I finish this, I'll move onto my next story, which is another different project for me to work on when I can.
> 
> Love you guys, thank you for the support.
> 
> Enjoy chapter 18!

Mingi scrolled through his phone, stuck in a car in the hospital parking lot. Seonghwa had no choice but to bring his old pal to the ER to dress the wound and stitch it up.

The tall man was beyond confused as to what their relationship was, but since Seonghwa hadn’t clarified, he assumed it was someone from his past.

All together, no one from his friend group knew much about Seonghwa’s past. It’s more of a touchy subject for the normally unbothered artist, and everytime something’s brought up, Seonghwa somehow always changes the subject.

Mingi’s listening to Colde as he went through instagram, pausing his search every once in a while to message Yeosang and Wooyoung. He’s been meaning to hang out with the two, but since Seonghwa’s been ill, he hasn’t had the chance.

** _Yeo: So what are you going to do?_ **

** _Mingi: about the guy? who the hell knows. all i know is that i need to be careful around him._ **

** _Yeo: Is he a big guy? Like, does he look like he wants to hurt you?_ **

** _Mingi: nothing like that. actually, it’s the opposite. he looks like if i get any closer than 10 feet from him, he might crumble._ **

** _Yeo: ..._ **

** _Mingi: whatever his situation is, he looks beyond sickly and is looking closer to someone who’s dead._ **

** _Yeo: that’s not good._ **

** _Mingi: yeah..._ **

Mingi switches convos to Wooyoung, who’s busy spamming his phone with wholesome memes. For the fourteenth time today.

** _Mingi: Woo._ **

** _Wooyoungie: Yes Minmin?_ **

** _Mingi: how many fucking albums of cat wholesome memes do you have?_ **

** _Wooyoungie: 39. Why?_ **

** _Mingi: jesus christ. it’s ENDLESS._ **

** _Wooyoungie: of course. my love for my friends is never ending. accept my love, salt shaker._ **

** _Mingi: i’m not salty. i’ve just got a headache, and i’m in a tough situation right now-_ **

** _Wooyoungie: SALT SHAKERRRRRR YOU’RE THE EMBODIMENT OF SALT TAKE MY CUTE PICTURES_ **

Mingi sighed deeply and muted the conversation almost immediately. Wooyoung liked to spam him a lot, so it wasn’t something weird or anything, but god did it get on his nerves sometimes.

Suddenly, while his phone was in his hand, it rang loudly. Mingi didn’t even flinch, he just picked it up. “Yep?”

“Hey, Mingi. I’m gonna need you to come out into the hospital. I can’t be near San while he has an open wound anymore, because I’m sick.” Seonghwa said, a twang of sorrow in his voice. It was extremely evident that this was affecting him a lot more than anything else had so far.

“Mmm. Is he okay?”

“He should be fine. They’re finished sewing him up, but they won’t allow me into the room to see him.”

There was loud talking in the background. “I don’t know if he has insurance.” Slight pause. “Yeah, he told me he tripped on the tracks outside my shop. I’m not sure if that’s 100% what happened but it’s all I can tell you, doc.”

“Everything good?”

“They’re just asking me questions, cause San isn’t talking.” Seonghwa told him, covering the speaker with his large hand again, muffling the sound of a busy ER and the conversation.

Mingi sighed, turning off the car and reclining his chair back as far as it would go. As far as he was concerned, he’d be sleeping here tonight. He knew Seonghwa wouldn’t want to leave because for some reason, this man seemed to mean a lot more to him that met the eye.

“Well, if you need me, I’ll be sleeping in the car. Let me know when you’ll be out.” Mingi stated, letting out a large huff.

“Mingi, don’t be like that. Can... Can I tell you about him later? We shouldn’t be that long...” Hwa trailed off.

The piercing master was not exactly fond of how Seonghwa treated him today once that bitch came into the picture, so he wasn’t having it. “Whatever. Whoever he is, it does not give you an excuse for treating me like a servant today. I am not doing that for you and a stranger ever again.”

Mingi could hear the frustration through Seonghwa’s phone. Of course the man knew his friend didn’t mean to do that to him, but he did not appreciate that kind of shit. Before he found Hwa, he was doing that for leaders of his old gang... just a little pawn. It was awful.

“I know, man. I know. Just... give me a few hours, and I’ll explain everything.”

“You better. Night.” Mingi said, hanging up right afterward. He massaged his temples forcefully; his headache was relentless. At this rate, he’d be getting a migraine due to stress on top of whatever the hell was going on now.

Obviously, meeting up would have to wait for another night. This way maybe he could invite everyone to the parlor or somewhere to hang out for a fun evening. It depended on how well Seonghwa fixed things with him, though.

Seonghwa had done this before, but only once. It was when Mingi was a fresh hire, and had yet to expose his personal secrets when it came to gangs and such. The artist wasn’t used to having extra help around, so he used it to his advantage.

The tattoo office would be prepped and ready to go by eight in the morning when they opened, but the piercing room still needed to be cleaned. It created problems and Mingi hated being thrown different chores to do like that.

He vowed to not do it again once Mingi brought up the concern, but he guessed since this was special circumstances...

Mingi tossed his phone onto the seat beside him, grumbling as he shifted in the squeaky cloth chair, trying to get comfortable.

Something was building up in Mingi, and he wasn’t sure what to think of it. Was it rage? Anxiety? Frustration? No. Something was unsettling to him about this interaction.

Was he going to figure out why? Possibly.

Once his head hit the top of the reclined seat, he drifted off to sleep.

——

“Jongho, can you hand me those scissors?”

Mingi stretched out his arm, holding his hand out, awaiting the boy’s delivery of the metal scissors he had lying around.

“Sure.”

“Jongho, is it gonna hurt?”

Mingi’s customer was none other than one of Jongho’s younger siblings. Her birthday wish was to get her ears pierced, and since the whole process was easy enough, Mingi agreed to do it for free.

“Mia-“ Jongho began a sentence, but Mingi gave him a reassuring look and smiled down at the little one.

“It’ll feel like a little pinch, but it will only feel like that for a few seconds. Okay?” Mingi said, ruffling her hair.

It was now blatantly apparent that these kids were not being treated well. Jongho and Mia both looked skinny, and Jongho himself seemed like he had lost weight from the last visit. Their clothes were old, and her shirt below her jacket was stained, but Jongho insisted that they were doing okay.

“Okay.” She replied, sounding a little scared.

Mingi knew just the thing she needed to hear. “If you’re able to be a tough girl and not move for me for the next minute or so, I’ll give you a little treat. Okay?”

Jongho watched from the door as Mingi carefully opened a care kit he had ordered the other day, grabbing the box and setting it aside on the counter before reaching for his tools.

“You wanted the pink ones, right?” Mingi asked, picking up the tiny earrings in his large hands.

She shook her head. “No, the blue!”

“Ah, that’s right. I’m sorry, little Mia.” He traded out the pink for the blue gem earrings, and loaded them into his piercing stapler.

He didn’t really know what it was called, so he usually referred it to a stapler. It was pretty much the same thing.

“Okay. Time to stay still, okay? It’ll feel a little bit weird, but that’s normal. I’ll let you know when it’s done.” Mingi said in a soft tone, making sure she saw his happy expression before readying himself to give her the piercings.

“Jjongie!” Mia called out, causing the boy at the door to peer over his shoulder slowly. He gave a big ‘whoops’ smile and made his way to her side.

“Sorry, Mia. I was watching the others through the window. Do you want me to hold your hand?” Jongho questioned, nudging her arm.

Mia gladly placed her hand within his palm, gripping his pointer finger and middle finger tight as she closed her eyes.

“Ready?” Mingi asked, but knowing he wouldn’t get an answer, he went ahead with it.

After two  _ pops  _ left the staple machine, Mingi touched her earlobes softly, glancing at the position of the piercing. Perfectly centered!

“Alright. All done!”

Mia cheered.

“Keep your eyes closed, though! I’m getting you your prize.”

She gasped and covered her eyes with her hands, barely able to stay still.

It was rare, but Mingi did sometimes get little kids in here accompanied by their parents. Ear piercing was very easy to someone as experienced as him, so he had them listed on a poster up front for 10 dollars. That’s very cheap for what it is, but since this part of town was pretty run down… he didn’t get as many people as he wanted.

However, he’s always stocked with lollipops for whenever they come through.

He cracked a grin as he watched Mia wiggle her feet as they dangled off of the tall stool. Jongho was shaking his head, standing up beside her and placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Are you ready?”

Mia nodded vigorously, her little ponytail bouncing wildly.

“Open!”

Once Mia’s eyes opened, she snatched the pop out Mingi’s hands, screaming “THANK YOU!” before ripping the plastic off and stuffing the candy into her mouth.

“Does it hurt?” Jongho asked, rubbing the top part of her ear very softly.

She shook her head, eating her candy happily. Jongho gave her a pat on the head and smiled wide, then glancing at Mingi.

“Thanks, man.” Jongho said, peeling away from his baby sister. He stayed near the door, being sure to watch over his siblings as they sat in the waiting room. “I appreciate it a lot. Our foster parents have been away for several days on a trip or something, so I’m able to treat them with goodies and stuff… Well, if I can afford it.”

Mingi smirked. “Don’t mention it, bud. You’re always welcome here. And from what I can hear,” Mingi stopped in the middle of his sentence to reveal loud screaming from the waiting room. Yeosang, Wooyoung and Yunho were visiting, and they decided to play cards. Whatever game it was, Yunho was losing and was clearly not happy about it. “They’ll be welcome here whenever. We have plenty of friends who can help you out.”

“I shouldn’t have to rely on others for such simple things, but thanks for that offer. I’m sure we’ll be coming back soon when we have more time.” Jongho stated, before opening the door. “Hey! You aren’t beating him at poker that badly, are you?”

His younger siblings howled with laughter, and Jongho joined in with his soft chuckle. “Yunho, Miles is actually really good at texas hold ‘em. I’m not sure how he got that good, but he took all my money once.”

“He just took all of mine!” Yunho sounded distraught.

Mingi grabbed Mia by the hand and stepped outside of the room, watching the foster siblings’ eyes grow with shock once they saw Mia’s little studs in her ears.

“Mia! Oh those look so cute!” Tara, the third eldest said, running up to her and picking her up in her arms. Mia was giggling like crazy, causing everyone to erupt out with large smiles. Seonghwa came in from the other room, observing the game from afar, a smirk dancing on his face.

San poked his head out of the shelter of Seonghwa’s room, accompanied by his flashy neon arm sling. Who knows why he requested the loudest color known to man, but he was extra, so. So extra that somehow, this man didn’t only cut his arm, but he fell just hard enough to give himself a hairline fracture.

He had been bunking with Mingi the past few days, since Seonghwa was still recovering from being sick and couldn’t risk San being infected. Also, since San needed help, Mingi had no choice but to assist him with certain things. They’d grown enough to get along, and to know each other’s likes and dislikes. 

Mingi agreed that he was a pretty alright guy, but he seemed a little… fragile. He always kept his guard up. Even around Seonghwa, he tensed, but not as much as he did with Mingi.

The six kids stayed for another hour, Seonghwa buying them pizza, and Wooyoung giving them clothes that his younger brother grew out of for the younger boys. They were so happy to receive the clothes that it made Mingi wonder how bad the conditions they were living in were.

Jongho had pulled him aside before he told them to come into the store about how Seonghwa covered for him and that he was actually a foster kid trying to make the most of what he had. Mingi wasn’t actually sure why Seonghwa didn’t just tell him that, but it wasn’t something he needed to address right now.

Once they left, all of the older men sighed deeply, Yeosang getting up to grab a beer from the fridge.

“They’re definitely a handful.” Yunho said, sighing deeply, resting his arms behind his head as he sat on the couch. Wooyoung tossed his old hand of cards onto the coffee table, pouting.

“How did we lose 100 dollars to a 12 year old?” Wooyoung whined.

Seonghwa laughed. “Because we all know you guys suck at poker. And every game for that matter.”

“Hey! It’s not like we have time to play games.” Yunho countered. “I’m usually in the studio. Meanwhile dumb and dumber over here can play wheneeeever they want.”

Mingi snorted. “You’re just saying that because you’re a sore loser. We weren’t even involved, dumbass.”

Yeosang wandered back to his seat, two bottles of alcohol in tow that he had brought for the night. “Yunho, it’s alright. Just think that you losing that money was a donation to those poor kids.” Yeosang’s smile slowly faded. “Is there anything more we can do for those kids? They’re really in need of some tlc.”

Wooyoung shrugged. “Jongho seems competent enough to keep them out of trouble. The only thing they don’t have is a solid provider. I could hire him at the bakery so he can get some extra cash…? Do you think he’d like that, Hwa?”

Seonghwa bit his lip, deep in thought. “I’m sure he’d appreciate it. I don’t know what he thinks about it, but I can call him later about the opportunity.”

“Of course my mom would interview him, but with how personable this kid is, I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Wooyoung said with a smile. “They’re good kids… I want to help out in any way I can.”

Mingi couldn’t help but smirk. Of course the boy tugged at his heartstrings, but he wasn’t going to admit that. He did want the best for him, and considering how fast Wooyoung was willing to even think of offering him a job at his business… He’s sure he’ll be well taken care of.

“Hey, Mingi… How’s your house hunting going?” Yunho suddenly asked, throwing Mingi out of his daze.

He shrugged. “It’s going.”

“When he says that, he means he might have a place in the works.” Yeosang blurted, causing Mingi to frown. 

Everyone gasped.

Mingi gave his friend a teasing glare, but ended up shaking his head in disbelief. “That was supposed to be a surprise, but anyway. I’m sure you’ll be glad to see me go, Hwa.”

The tattoo artist cocked his head slightly in confusion. “I’ll definitely miss you. You’ve been here for what seems like forever. But I’m finally glad to hear that you’ll be back on your feet soon.”

Yeosang took a swig from the can of beer, while Wooyoung and Yunho began to congratulate Mingi, bickering and laughing together.

San stayed silent, his head hung low as he timidly stood in the corner. Seonghwa was by his side, providing him with some comfort in this unfamiliar environment. Yeah, that was something that really told Mingi something was up. Seonghwa clearly knew about it, too. However, he was aware that if Hwa knew, he’d do everything in his power to try to fix the issue.

After all, that’s what he had done for him. Letting him stay in the parlor for years, so he could gain the funds to rent his own home a few minutes away.

Mingi’s phone buzzed in his pocket, causing him to pause his in-depth conversation of rom-coms with Wooyoung to check who it was.

** _Strawberry bitch: Hey, can you tell Mars to text me back? I need to discuss some things with him._ **

Alarmed, Mingi quickly texted him back. The shorty never talked in proper English. As much as this guy came around and annoyed the piercing expert, he didn’t mind another friend to text. Besides, he always sent him good song recommendations.

** _Mingi: About what? We’re having a get together right now with friends._ **

** _Strawberry bitch: I need to ask him something that may or may not be serious._ **

** _Mingi: Is it really that important then?_ **

** _Strawberry bitch: Look, Mingi. He hasn’t texted me back or anything since you gave him my number. I really need to talk to him. Please, just… tell him to call me within the next day or so._ **

** _Mingi: Well, okay then. I’ll make sure to relay the message._ **

Mingi slid his phone back into his pocket, not worried enough to tell Seonghwa about it now. He’d been waiting for a night like this for a long time, where him and his friends could just relax and celebrate the new beginnings happening in their lives. Yeosang was going to room with Mingi in an apartment around the corner from Seonghwa. Yunho’s studio has been open for just over a year. Wooyoung’s dad was sentenced to a lengthy sentence for what he did, and Seonghwa was celebrating his reconnection with San, though he didn’t react to it much. Seonghwa’s always been kind of cold, but even through that mask, anyone could sense how happy he was to see a familiar face from his past. 

San, although hesitant, grabbed a drink and sat on the front desk chair, swinging his legs from the tall stool as he listened to different stories about the friend group. Bar stories, horror tattoo tales… very entertaining memories that Mingi had somehow forgotten over the time he’s known them.

By the time it hit 3am, Yunho had dragged Yeosang back to his place, and Wooyoung called an uber home. All that was left were the awkward three stooges: two that were close and staying near each other and one who was very skeptical about their past relationship. 

Secrets were secrets, Mingi didn’t expect to be told anything other than whatever San was comfortable with telling him, so as soon as they had the parlor to themselves, he turned in for the night. He changed into a baggy tie dye shirt with sweatpants, and headed to the couch.

“Hwa, can I talk to you for a second before you head out?” Mingi asked softly, his throat sore after a long night of laughs and screaming.

Seonghwa furrowed his brow, but nodded slightly before following Mingi into his office.

Mingi let him inside before closing the door, leaving San out on the sofa.

“Hey, I forgot to mention I got a text from Hongjoong earlier. He wants you to text him.”

“Police boy? But why?”

“He didn’t tell me. It seemed urgent at first but I don’t know what he wants. I think you should message him.” Mingi said, showing Seonghwa the conversation from the strawberry.

Seonghwa narrowed his eyes while reading, but sighed deeply and pushed the phone deeper into Mingi’s hands. “I’ll talk to him. You don’t need to worry.”

“Don’t leave him hanging. Last time I checked, you always responded to texts. I know he’s a devil spawn when it comes to being obnoxious, but he’s not a horrible guy.”

Mingi noticed the trembling stirring in Seonghwa’s hands as he began to walk away. “I’ve been preoccupied, Mingi. I’ll make sure to talk to him when I can.”

Frowning, Mingi grabbed Seonghwa’s wrist, preventing him from walking further away. “Seonghwa. What is going on? Why are you shaking?”

The eldest froze at the touch, glancing down at Mingi’s hand. He blinked for a few moments, trying to register what was happening before prying Mingi off his wrist. “I’m exhausted, Mingi. I just need some sleep, okay? I’m going to head home with San. You sleep well.” Seonghwa simply said, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind him abruptly.

Mingi just stood there, frowning. No, something was definitely going on with those two. And it was taking a toll on his best friend.

But what was it?

Surely he was going to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, did I end the chapter on a good hook?
> 
> I can't guarantee this next chapter will come out in a month or so, since finals are next month... I'll try to upload a new story when I can!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	20. Nineteen

Seonghwa left San tucked in his bed, making himself some coffee for the long night ahead. Anko was resting beside San, watching her owner as he put a mug under his coffee maker.

San had night terrors. Seonghwa couldn’t force himself to sleep next to a man who was afraid of men. After everything he went through, he was just going to guarantee him a safe environment so he could finally get a few hours of sleep without any worries.

Of course, this means that Seonghwa hasn’t slept, at least not much in the past week. Though he set up an air mattress on the floor across from the bed, he found it easier for him to just stay up until San woke up.

Seonghwa grabbed some cream and sugar, stirring his coffee with a spoon before tossing it in the sink.

San groaned slightly, opening an eye to the sound of the spoon clanging in the sink. “Hwa?”

“Sorry, Sannie. I didn’t mean to make any noise.” Seonghwa whispered, placing his hand gently on San’s sleepy head. “Go back to sleep.”

“You should sleep.”

“You shouldn’t be worrying about me right now. You just get some rest. You’re still healing.” Seonghwa replied, ruffling his hair softly.

“Mmmm okay.” San grumbled groggily, falling back to sleep almost instantly.

Seonghwa sighed, grabbing the coffee mug he abandoned on the counter and taking a long sip.

He sat on the counter for a little while, watching San as he turned in his sleep. The silence was somewhat comforting, and paired with Anko’s purring, the apartment couldn’t be more cozy.

Seonghwa figured that he could step out for a little bit until San woke up. Holding his mug in one hand and phone in the other, he quietly stepped outside of his apartment, closing the door behind him.

He sat on the apartment complex’s steps, glancing into the dark of night for some sort of sign. Something that could help him continue what he was doing.

Spring was nearly here, yet the cool breeze still nipped at Seonghwa’s heels. Luckily he was equipped with a large sweatshirt and pretty baggy sweatpants to fare him well during this kind of weather. He could smell the pines as they ruffled in the wind, and the faint scent of blueberry wafted about.

Blueberry? Seonghwa had avid bakers living next door, but it was also 3am. Why on earth did it smell as strong as it did? Was it even blueberries, or was his mind playing tricks on him? He was one to dismiss most of his experiences when he was sleep deprived, but this seemed strangely different. It wasn’t some sort of delusion… No, it was something different. 

Oddly enough, it reminded him of someone he hadn’t thought of contacting in a long time.

He slid his phone out of his pocket, staring blankly at his screensaver, which was of him, Mingi and Jongho on their last trip to a diner. Jongho needed to study and Mingi didn’t have any customers until later in the day, so Seonghwa drove them there and treated them to some pie. It was their special strawberry rhubarb, which was a staple Seonghwa himself went to eat every once in a while. It had been months since his last bite, and honestly, he was craving some more as he saw how happy Jongho was with his cheeks full.

Strawberry… Ah, that’s why he pulled out his phone.

He scrolled through his recent messages, ignoring the fact that he had over 400 unread messages. Somewhere within the past few days, the man had texted him. He had just been so busy with San and the shop that he didn’t have a second to spare. Now, he had just enough time to breathe and to reply to him. But instead, he pressed call instead of the send button.

“...Hello?” Hongjoong’s voice was groggy, but somewhat comforting to hear. A moment passed, and Seonghwa was hesitating. He didn’t think this far ahead. Now, his mind was short circuting and he had no idea what he was supposed to say. “Hello? Who the hell is this? It’s 3am, so it better be a butt dial or it better be that all but one limb has fallen off. Otherwise I’m hanging up.”

“Hongjoong…?” Seonghwa’s voice was hoarse and shaky. Not near as stable as he was hoping to sound.

“Oh, look, you finally decided to call me back. I thought you gave me the wrong number.” He sounded slightly disgruntled, but his tone wasn’t angry. It was more laced with annoyance, which was understandable.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore your calls or texts… I’ve.. I’ve just been dealing with a lot.” Seonghwa admitted. “I haven’t had any time to myself in weeks. I apologize.”

“No, no.” His voice turned soft. “It’s okay, I understand… How… How are you?”

“I’m… I could be better, in all honesty. But I didn’t call to update you on how I’m doing. Mingi told me earlier that you contacted him. And now, I’ve finally got a chance…”

“O-Oh. Yeah! I wanted to talk to you, since we haven’t talked in a while. I wanted to commission you for something.”

“Commission? What do you mean?”

“Do you by any chance do any art on the side? Like, full time tattoo artist, but you do art as a hobby?” Hongjoong questioned.

“Not necessarily, no.”

“Ah, shit. Okay, then I’ll find someone else. Not that big of an issue though.”

Seonghwa blinked. “Was that the only thing you were calling for?”

“N-No! No. I was just calling to see if we could meet up somewhere. Just as friends.”

He frowned. “What do you mean just as friends?”

Hongjoong sighed. “Look, I’ll be honest with you. I realized every time we’ve met in person, I was a dick.”

“How long did it take you to realize that? Just now?”

“Shut up, asshole. Let me finish.”

Seonghwa chuckled slightly, staying silent for the man to talk.

“I want to make it up to you somehow, for even being somewhat patient with me.”

The stars in the sky above Seonghwa began to shimmer like they’ve never shined before. It was a breathtaking sight, and Seonghwas eyes focused on the brightest one of them all before replying. “Make it up to me? Why on earth do you think you have to make it up to me?”

“I was being someone I’m not, and I feel bad. Plus, I don’t want to be on your bad side when you’re doing that tattoo of mine.”

“So is this you asking me on a date? Even though we’ve only met twice?”

“No, no. It’s nothing like that. It’s more of a thank you.”

“For what?”

“For… for bringing a little joy into my life. Even though I was an ass, I don’t have the pleasure to experience something like that often.”

Seonghwa raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll explain everything when we get together. When’s the next time you’re free?”

Seonghwa and Hongjoong discussed their schedules for a while, and finally came up with a time and date a few weeks ahead of them. Turns out, Hongjoong did work as an intern at a record label in the big city far away, so he was fairly busy. He wasn’t anywhere remotely close to a police officer, but he had a background in criminal justice before switching to music.

They talked for over an hour and a half, despite the fact that both Hongjoong and Seonghwa were exhausted from work. But after their talk about horrible high school stories, Seonghwa finally looked at the time.

“Hey, Joong.”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“I really enjoyed talking to you, but I think I’m gonna try to get some rest. You should focus on that, too.”

“Finally, I thought you would never stop talking.”

“Me? I don’t talk that much. You were carrying the entire conversation.”

Suddenly, Seonghwa’s door swung open behind him, startling him.

“What the-”

San was sobbing, looking frantic and panicking.

“Joong, I have to go.”

He didn’t let the strawberry respond before hanging up. San was barely able to keep himself up, and he was heaving like he couldn’t breathe. Seonghwa rushed to his side, pulling him into an embrace.

“Seong-”

“I know, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left your side.” Seonghwa said, squeezing him tight. “Everything’s okay, okay? I’m here now.”

San let the tears fall into Seonghwa’s shoulder as the eldest held him close, clutching onto him like a sad kitten. “I’m so sorry.” San cried.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Now, let’s go back inside for some tea, alright?”

Seonghwa let San inside once more, hoping to calm him down with chamomile and a movie.

It was going to be another sleepless night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE IT IS! It's short, but it's out, as promised! 
> 
> I'm so sorry this took me so long! I have just had no motivation until a night ago.  
Thank you all so much for your support for this story! It means a lot to me.


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